THIRTY  YEARS  A  DETECTIVE. 


Thorough  and  Comprehensive  Expose 

of  Criminal  Practices  of  all 

Grades  and  Classes. 

CONTAINING 

NUMEROUS  EPISODES   OF   PERSONAL   EXPERIENCE 
IN    THE    DETECTION    OF    CRIMINALS, 

AND 

COVERING  A  PERIOD  OF  THIRTY  YEARS' 
ACTIVE  DETECTIVE  LIFE. 

BY 

ALLAN     PINKERTON, 

AUTHOR  OF 

"PROFESSIONAL    THIEVES    AND    DETECTIVES," 
"  THE  SPY  OF  THE  REBELLION," 

ETC.,    ETC. 

ILLUSTRATED       :v 


NEW     YORK: 

G.    IV.    Carleton   &  Co.,  Publishers. 


MDCCCLXXXIV. 

[SOLD   ONLY  BY  SUBSCRIPTION.] 


•Pr 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

ALLAN  PINKERTON, 

1884. 


Stereotyped  by 

SAMUEL  STODDKK, 

42  DET  STREET,  N.  Y. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  work  is  what  it  purports  to  be.  For  over 
thirty  years  I  have  been  engaged  in  the  active  duties 
of  a  detective,  and  during  that  period  I  have  ac 
quired  a  comparatively  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
modes  of  operation  adopted  by  the  various  classes  of 
criminals  who  prey  upon  humanity.  Being  of  the 
opinion  that  much  loss  and  trouble  might  be  pre 
vented,  if  the  entire  community  was  enlightened 
upon  these  matters,  I  have  prepared  this  work  for 
the  purpose  of  placing  within  the  reach  of  every  one, 
that  information  which  is,  or  ought  to  be,  a  guarantee 
of  security.  In  the  hope  that  what  I  have  written 
may  be  of  service  to  my  fellow  beings  in  every  walk 
of  life,  and  that  the  experiences  given,  may  convince 
the  dishonestly  inclined  of  the  utter  futility  of  the 
success  of  criminal  actions,  this  volume  is  sent  forth. 

ALLAN    PINKERTON. 

CHICAGO,  February,   1884. 


983862 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


"Mr.    Charles   W.    Pontez   is   the    Man    who 
Check,  and  I  will  prove  it." 


stole   this 
Frontispiece. 
.     40 


Coming  from  the  Bank.          .... 

The  Pickpocket  on  the  Street  Car.  .  .  -45 

Robbery  in  a  Jewelry  Store.  .  .  .  .     65 

A  "Boodle"  Victim.  .  ....     77 

An  Unwelcome  Visitor.        .  .  .  .  .96 

A  Bank  Sneak.  .  .  .  .  .  .   113 

"  Turning"  a  Victim.  .....   124 

In  the  Palace  Car.      .  .  .  .  .  .   155 

A  Wolf  in  Sheep's  Clothing.  ....   173 

Singular  Performance  in  an  Opera  House.  .  .  277 

Burglars  and  Dynamite.        .....   280 

An  Amateur  Forger.  .....  345 

"Randall  Grasped  one  of  the  Arriving   Passengers   by 

the  Hand."  .  .  .  .  .  .377 

"Three  Detectives  Advanced  and  Demanded  their  Sur 
render."  .  .  ....  378 

A  Costly  Conversation.         .  .  .  .  .411 

The  Arrest  of  George  McDonnell  ....  417 

A  Struggle  in  the  Dark.        .... 


A  Counterfeiter  Surprised. 
An  Unexpected  Apparition. 
A  Fight  for  Liberty. 
"The  Tallest  of  these  Two 
Blank  Key  to  !" 


Men  is  the  One  I  Sold  the 


495 
5*5 

54i 
548 

584 


I  Demand  your  Surrender  for  the  Robbery  of  the  Ex 

press  Company.  .....  601 

Right,  Captain,  I've  Got  Him."          .  .  .613 


CONTENTS. 


PREFACE, 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


PAGE 

7 


INTRODUCTION,  . 


THE  SOCIETY  THIEF. 


Refugees  from  England, — Stealing  only  Portable  and 
Valuable  Articles. — A  Stolen  Bank  Check  at  a  Wed 
ding. — Experts  at  Pocket-Picking. — Robberies  at 
Funerals. — Theater  and  Church  Thieves.  .  .  27 

THE    PICKPOCKET. 

The  First  Career  of  the  Professional  Criminal. — Going 
in  Mobs. — Waylaying  Bank  Depositors. — The  Man 
Who  is  Ever  on  the  Watch  and  Cannot  be  Robbed. 
— Slang  Terms. — Railroad  Car  Thieves. — Stealing 
the  Diamond  Stud. — Watch  and  Chain. — Purses  and 
Pocket-books. — Street  Car  Thieves. — The  Female 
Thief.  . 36 

STORE    ROBBERS. 

A  House  to  let. — Store-rooms  for  Plunder. — Making  their 
Keys. — Packing  the  Goods. — Removal  by  Express 


io  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Wagon. —  Through  the  Skylight.— Selling  by  Sam 
ple. — The  Jewelry  Store. — The  "  Note  Racket." — 
Guarding  the  Keys.  .  .  .  .  -55 

THE    "BOODLE"    GAME. 

Cupidity  Greater  than  Judgment. — The  Sawdust  Swin 
dler. — "  A  Boss  Racket." — Preparing  a  Circular. — 
Verdant  Green.  —  "Kin  yer  tell  me  whar  I  can 
find  Mr.  Sharp?"  —  A  Dramatic  Agency.  —  The 
"  Crooked  Stuff.  "—Five  Dollars'  Worth  of  Jewelry. 
— Good  Money  for  Bad. — Sawdust,  C.  O.  D.  .  .  70 

HOTEL    THIEVES. 

The  Hotel  Proprietor  as  a  Sufferer. — Night  Watchmen. — 
Safety-locks  and  Chain  Bolts. — The  Modus  Operand! 
of  the  Professional  Hotel  Thief. — An  Ingenius  Kit 
of  Tools. — Preparations  and  Precautions.  —  The 
Cracksman  at  Work. —  Bar-Keys,  Widdies,  Nippers 
and  Cut  Wires. — Entering  the  sleeping  guest's  apart 
ment. — A  unique  contrivance  for  doctoring  the  locks 
of  an  unoccupied  room. — Precautions  that  every 
guest  should  use. — The  dapper  Traveling  Salesman.  82 

SNEAK    THIEVING. 

An  apparent  Gentleman. — His  Noiseless  Footstep. — A 
Bag  for  Booty. — Skeleton  Keys. — Entrance  to  the 
Bank  Vault. — Co-operation  of  his  Stalls. — A  Prefer 
ence  for  Country  Banks.  —  Engaging  the  Bank 
Officials. — Inside  of  a  Bank. — Interviewing  the  Presi 
dent  and  Cashier.  —  Buying  Drafts  and  claiming 
Shorts. — Arguments  and  Re-counts. — A  Queer  Step- 
ladder. — A  stray  note  Dropped  on  the  Floor. — Done 
Up  in  Brown  Paper. — Safe  Deposit  Companies. — 
Gaining  Admission  to  the  Vaults. — Mingling  with 
the  Depositors. — Warning  Advice  to  Safe  Deposit 
Companies  and  Customers. — Daring  and  Successful 


CONTENTS.  ii 

PAGE 

Robbery  by  Sneak  Thieves  in  New  York. — The  office 
of  James  H.  Bloodgood. — $250,000  Carried  Off. — A 
'  Hunt  for  the  Thieves. — Watchful  surveillance. — Shad 
owing  a  Suspected  Rendezvous.  —  A  Dashing 
Woman. — My  Detectives  on  the  Track. — Off  for 
Baltimore  and  Petersburgh. — The  Strategy  of  Rob 
ert  Pinkerton. — Arrest  and  Recovery  of  the  Bonds. 
— Recovery  of  $51,000,  Government  Bonds,  for  the 
National  Bank  of  Courtland,  N.  Y.  .  .  106 

PALACE    CAR    THIEVES. 

The  Thief  and  His  Companion. — An  Attractive  Female. 
— Slumbering  Passengers. — An  Innocent  Accom 
plice. — Searching  for  the  Thief. — Mr.  Potter  loses 
some  Diamonds. — Mr.  Bangs  on  the  Trail. — Remark 
able  Discovery. — Advice  to  Travelers.  .  .  .  152 

STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS. 

Mississippi  River  Thieves. — Preliminary  Arrangements. 
— The  "  Weeding  "  Process. — Stop  Thief  ! — "  Excuse 
my  mistake,  I  thought  this  was  my  room." — First- 
class  and  Second-class  Thieves. — Smooth  tongues  and 
fair  faces. — The  Middle-aged  Clergyman. — Victim 
ized  Gamblers.  .....  164 

HOUSE    BREAKING. 

House  Breaking  as  a  Fine  Art. — A  Quotation  from 
Dickens. — The  English  and  American  Professionals 
Contrasted. — Preparations  and  Places. — A  Kit  of 
Tools. — Gaining  an  Entrance. — The  Jointed  Key. — 
Large  Footprints. — Servants  as  Accomplices. — 
"  Over  the  Garden  Wall."  .  .  .  .175 

CONFIDENCE  AND  BLACKMAIL. 

A  Social  Leper. — The  Confidence  Man  about  Town. — A 
Confidence  Man  ''  Confidenced." — Purchasing  Wit- 


12  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

nesses. — The  Medical  Charlatan  and  his  Merchant 
Dupe. — A  Pretty  Law-breaker. — The  Blackmailer's 
End.  .......  190 

THE    BURGLAR. 

Bank  Burglars. — Locating  their  Mark. — Burglars  and 
Dynamite. — Brokers  who  open  a  Bank. — The  Oyster 
Dealer. — The  Dentist. — The  Shoemaker. — The  Bar 
ber. — Inside  Work. — The  Cashier  as  a  Burglar's  As 
sistant. — Methods,  Tools  and  Implements  of  the 
Burglar. — A  Would-be  Burglar  Trapped.  .  .256 

FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

Draft  Raising.  —  An  Amateur  Forger.  —  A  Clever 
Forgery. — Reminiscences  of  Expert  Forgers. — The 
King  of  Forgers. — Corporations  floated  by  Forged 
Securities. — Wild-Cat  Insurance  Companies.  —  A 
Forger  of  Many  Experiences. — The  Bank  of  Eng 
land  Forgers. — A  Forger  of  two  Continents.  .  .338 

COUNTERFEITING    AND    COUNTERFEITERS. 

Queer  Coins  and  Laws  of  Ancient  Nations. — A  Counter 
feiter  of  Millions. — A  Genius  among  Counterfeiters. 
—  A  Hero  of  Balaklava  as  a  Counterfeiter.  —  A 
Prince  among  Counterfeiters. — A  Thrilling  Exist 
ence. — Lesser  Lights. — A  Trio  of  Criminal  Artists.  442 

THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

The  Robbery  of  Express  Companies. — Two  Notable  Ac 
knowledgments  of  my  Services. — A  Bold  Express 
Robbery. — Clever  Detective  Work.  .  .  .  567 


INTRODUCTION. 


IN  the  preparation  of  the  present  work  I  have  en 
deavored  to  carry  into  effect  an  idea  I  have  en 
tertained  for  several  years.  A  purpose  long  consid 
ered,  and  the  execution  of  which  has  occupied  much 
of  my  time,  has  at  length  assumed  definite  shape  and 
tangible  form. 

The  knowledge  which  the  general  public  acquires 
of  the  transactions  of  the  criminal  classes  is,  at  the 
best,  but  meagre  and  unsatisfying.  Fragmentary 
newspaper  items — an  abstract  report  of  important 
trials,  and,  at  times,  costly  personal  experiences,  have 
been  the  only  means  by  which  the  reading  public  have 
been  informed  of  the  operations  of  a  class  of  people 
whose  numbers  are  enormous,  and  whose  depreda 
tions  are  of  daily  occurrence.  If  the  total  amount  of 
the  dishonest  appropriations  of  a  single  year  could  be 
ascertained,  the  sum  would  be  appalling  and  almost 
incredible,  and  yet,  as  widespread  as  are  the  opera- 


i4  INTRODUCTION. 

tions  of  the  criminal,  as  universal  his  existence,  and 
as  fabulous  the  amount  of  which  the  public  are  annu 
ally  plundered,  the  large  majority  of  the  sufferers  to 
day,  are  in  ignorance  of  the  manner  in  which  their 
goods  and  valuables  have  disappeared.  A  bank, 
strong  and  seemingly  impregnable,  is  entered  between 
twilight  and  dawn.  Vaults  that  were  guaranteed  to 
withstand  any  efforts  that  might  be  made  against  them, 
have  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  yielded  to 
the  skill  of  the  burglar,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars  have  been  successfully  carried  away  before 
suspicion  is  aroused,  or  an  alarm  sounded.  Stores 
and  dwellings  have:  been  broken  into,  under  the  very 
eyes  of  expert  watchmen,  and,  despite  every  ingenious 
safeguard  and  protection,  the  midnight  robbers  have 
effected  their  escape  with  the  property  of  their  un 
conscious  victims. 

In  broad  daylight  banks,  moneyed  institutions  and 
'financial  firms,  have  been  defrauded  of  vast  sums  of 
money  by  the  expert  forger,  the  sneak-thief,  and  the 
counterfeiter.  Individuals  of  all  classes  have  fallen 
victims  to  the  horde  of  dishonest  men  and  women 
who  infest  our  communities — and  yet  the  public  are 
unaware  of  the  means  employed  to  effect  their  ruin, 
or  the  modes  by  which  their  disasters  were  accom 
plished. 

This  information  I  now  propose  to  give,   in  the 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

hope  that  by  a  wide-spread  publication  of  the  meth 
ods  and  plans  of  the  criminal,  I  may  be  able  to 
restrict  his  operations,  impede  his  efforts,  and  prevent 
his  disastrous  successes. 

Prompt  and  energetic  detection  has  done  much  to 
prevent  the  spread  of  crime,  and  to  limit  the  radius 
of  criminal  operations.  A  robbery  of  an  Express 
Company  by  a  professional  .thief,  is  now  no  longer 
attempted  ;  and  by  my  efforts  in  the  detection  of  the 
criminals  who  made  these  corporations  their  victims 
for  many  years,  this  result  has  principally  been  ac 
complished.  It  is  true,  the  battle  was  a  long,  fierce 
and  costly  one,  but  in  the  end,  the  burglars  and 
thieves  were  compelled  to  yield — the  detectives  were 
the  conquerors,  the  robbers  were  sent  to  prison,  and 
the  result  is  that  the  express  companies  to-day  enjoy 
an  almost  thorough  immunity  from  depredation. 

This  is  also  the  case  with  the  larger  banking  in 
stitutions.  A  vigorous  process  of  detection  and  an 
unrelenting  administration  of  justice,  have  awed  the 
more  ambitious  of  the  criminal  fraternity  and  secured 
enforced  protection  for  the  mammoth  financial  institu 
tions  of  the  country. 

While  this  is  true  to  a  great  and  satisfying  extent, 
it  is  also  certain  that  the  number  of  criminals  of  all 
grades  has  increased  to  wonderful  proportions,  and 
their  modes  of  working  and  plans  of  operations  have 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

reached  a  degree  of  scientific  perfection  never  before 
attained. 

During  my  career  as  a  detective,  which  has  ex 
tended  over  a  period  of  more  than  thirty-six  years,  I 
have  been  engaged  in  active  association  with  crime 
and  criminals  of  every  grade  and  condition.  From  the 
most  skillful  operator  to  the  mere  tyro  in  dishonest 
practices,  they  have  all  come  within  the  scope  of  my  ex 
perience,  and  as  a  natural  consequence,  I  have  become 
familiar,  not  only  with  their  manner  of  working,  but 
with  their  various  movements  and  associates. 
£~~  During  this  extended  period,  crime  in  all  its 
branches  as  well  as  the  modes  of  detection,  have  made 
rapid  strides,  and  both  have  developed  into  a  science 
as  complex  and  far-reaching  as  any  that  now  engross 
i  the  philosopher  and  the  specialist.  The  detective 
himself  has  undergone  a  complete  metamorphosis. 
The  time  was  when  a  halo  of  romance  was  thrown 
around  the  disreputable  "  mouchard  "  of  the  Parisian 
Corps  detectif — when  the  "  Bow  street  runner "  of 
London  and  the  "  shadow  "  of  the  American  police 
were  the  ideal  detectives  of  the  age  in  which  they 
lived.  All  these  have  passed  away,  however,  and  to 
day  the  American  detective  stands  out  in  pure  relief 
from  all  such  associations.  His  calling  has  become  a 
profession,  and  himself  an  intelligent,  keen  sighted 
and  accomplished  gentleman,  relying  upon  his  own 


IN  TROD  UC  TION.  1 7 

high  moral  character,  his  superior  intelligence  and  his 
indefatigable  energy  for  the  success  which  he  has  at 
tained. 

The  reason  and  necessity  for  this  advancement  are 
evident.  Crime  itself  has  become  more  scientific,  and 
its  ranks  are  filled  by  men,  who  in  honorable  callings 
would  have  achieved  both  fame  and  fortune.  Among 
the  criminal  classes  to-day  are  to  be  found  men  of 
powerful  minds,  of  strong  will,  and  of  educational 
advantages  which,  if  correctly  applied  would  have  en 
abled  them  to  make  their  mark  in  the  professional  and 
business  circles  of  the  community.  Unfortunately, 
however,  their  great  talents  are  prostituted  to  base 
uses.  The  greed  of  gain,  the  desire  to  possess  them 
selves  of  the  property  of  others,  without  the  labor 
required  for  honest  accumulation,  have  led  them  to 
adopt  the  nature  of  the  vulture  and  to  prey  unscru 
pulously  upon  the  community  at  large. 

One  of  the  great  questions  which  presents  itself 
for  solution  to  the  criminal  is,  how  to  accomplish  their 
objects,  and  yet  succeed  in  shrouding  themselves  from 
detection.  Success  in  crime,  which  is  immediately 
followed  by  detection,  would  be,  but  an  unprofitable 
and  unsatisfactory  experiment,  and  hence  the  best 
energies  of  the  intelligent  criminal  are  devoted  to  the 
achievement  of  success  in  such  a  manner  as  to  baffle 
the  detective,  and  secure  immunity  from  punishment. 


i8  INTRODUCTION. 

To  prevent  this,  therefore,  the  detective  must  also  be 
advanced.  He  must  be  possessed  of  a  mind  which  is 
the  equal,  and,  if  possible,  the  superior  of  his  antag 
onist.  He  must  be  endowed  with  a  clear,  honest 
and  comprehensive  understanding  which  will  enable 
him  to  fathom  the  depths  of  criminal  science,  and  a 
force  of  will  and  vigor  of  body  necessary  to  overcome 
the  nature  and  the  dispositions  of  the  men  with  whom 
he  has  to  contend. 

In  addition  to  this  he  must  appear  the  careless, 
ordinary  individual,  particularly  to  those  upon  whom 
he  is  to  operate.  Assimilating,  as  far  as  possible, 
with  the  individuals  who  are  destined  to  feel  the  force 
of  his  authority,  and  by  appearing  to  know  but  little, 
acquire  all  the  information  possible  to  gather  from 
every  conceivable  source,  and  in  the  least  curious  or 
inquisitorial  manner. 

Possessed  of  an  ability  to  adapt  himself  to  every 
association  in  which  he  may  find  himself,  and  at  the 
same  time  prolific  in  resources,  he  must  be  prepared  at 
all  times  when  emergencies  arise  which  require  quick 
conceptions  and  ready  subterfuges.  To-day,  his  asso 
ciates  may  be  of  the  lowest  orders  of  humanity,  and 
to-morrow  he  mingles  with  the  best  elements  of  the 
social  community.  He  must  at  all  times  be  upon  his 
guard,  ever  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  most 
trifling  circumstances,  and  yet,  with  an  outward 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

demeanor  that  dispels  suspicion  and  invites  the  fullest 
confidence. 

The  profession  of  the  detective  is,  at  once,  an 
honorable  and  highly  useful  one.j  For  practical  bene- 
fits  few  professions  excel  it.J  He  is  an  officer  of  jus 
tice,  and  must  himself  be  pure  and  above  reproach. 
The  public  safety  and  the  perfect  fulfillment  of  his 
calling  require  this  ;  and  where  the  detective  is  found 
to  possess  these  qualifications,  success  invariably 
attends  his  operations.  The  great  essential  is  to  pre 
vent  his  identity  from  becoming  known,  even  among 
his  associates  of  respectable  character,  and  when  he 
fails  to  do  this ;  when  the  nature  of  his  calling  is  dis 
covered  and  made  known,  his  usefulness  to  the  pro 
fession  is  at  an  end,  and  failure,  certain  and  inevitable 
is  the  result. 

Understanding  all  this,  I  have  always  instructed 
my  men  fully  upon  this  point,  and  very  rarely  has  it 
occurred  that  the  operative  has  been  discovered  by 
any  action  of  his  own.  Through  every  grade  of 
criminal  practice  my  men  have  penetrated,  and  the 
result  of  their  investigations  have  been  fully  and 
regularly  reported  to  me. 

I  have  thus  been  enabled  to  make  the  criminal 
and  his  works  my  especial  study.  I  have  endeavored 
to  penetrate  into  the  mysteries  of  his  operations  and 
to  discover  his  methods  of  working.  I  have  examined 


20  IN  TROD  UCTION. 

carefully  into  the  most  minute 'particulars,  and  have 
learned  much  that  has  been  useful  to  me  in  prosecut 
ing  my  profession  as  a  detective.  By  this  system  of 
minute  examination  I  have  become  familiar  with  the 
modes  and  practices  of  the  men  who  have  success 
fully  broken  into  bank  vaults  that  were  considered 
inpregnable  ;  with  the  skillful  handiwork  of  the  forger 
and  the  counterfeiter,  and  with  the  numerous  devices 
of  the  criminal  in  every  branch  of  his  vocation,  and  I 
have  been  enabled  to  keep  pace  even  with  their 
increasing  knowledge  and  enlarged  facilities. 

The  information  which  I  have  thus  obtained  I 
now  propose  to  divulge  to  the  public,  believing  that 
it  is  to  their  best  interests  that  they  should  be  made 
acquainted  with  the  manifold  schemes  by  which  the 
expert  criminal  seeks  to  possess  himself  unlawfully  of 
their  valuables  and  money.  The  knowledge  thus 
given  may  enable  many  to  successfully  guard  them 
selves  against  the  attacks  of  the  burglar  and  the  thief, 
and  they  will  be  benefited  to  the  extent  that  security 
is  attained. 

It  has  frequently  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  me 
to  note  the  almost  universal  ignorance  which  pervades 
the  financial  and  commercial  communities  with  refer 
ence  to  the  workings  of  the  men,  who  daily  make 
them  the  victims  of  their  wiles  and  misdirected  skill. 
I  have,  therefore,  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  inform  them 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

as  fully  as  I  am  able,  of  the  plans  by  which  the  dis 
honest  prey  upon  the  thrifty  and  the  fortunate.  For 
the  enlightenment  of  this  class  of  people  there 
fore,  and  in  order  to  open  their  eyes  to  the  many 
ingenious  devices  of  the  counterfeiter,  the  burglar, 
and  the  chameleon-hued  thief,  I  have  devoted  myself 
to  the  preparation  of  recitals  which  follow. 

Not  alone  to  this,  class  do  I  address  myself,  but  to 
those  whose  business  it  is  to  detect  crime,  and  to  seek 
for  the  criminal  in  his  place  of  hiding;  for  the  detec 
tives  everywhere,  and  for  the  police  authorities  of  the 
land,  have  I  labored,  and,  I  trust,  not  in  vain. 

The  broad  field  of  crime  embraces  so  many  vari 
eties,  and  yet  with  the  classifications  so  distinctly 
marked,  that  my  labor  has  been  considerably  les 
sened  in  this  particular,  but  in  my  endeavors  to  give 
nought  but  the  facts,  and  those  as  exhaustive  and 
comprehensive  as  possible,  I  have  avoided,  and  I 
trust  neglected,  nothing  that  would  contribute  to  its 
thoroughness  both  as  to  research  and  description. 

I  have  followed  the  counterfeiter  through  all  the 
ramifications  of  his  truly  scientific  operations.  From 
the  time  when,  with  a  plenitude  of  State  Banks, 
each  with  their  own  issue  of  notes,  when  the  task  of 
counterfeiting  was  comparatively  an  easy  one — to  the 
present  day  when  the  government  stands  forth  in  all 
the  majesty  of  a  note  printer,  and  with  every  safe- 


2  2  IN  TR  OD  UC  TION. 

guard  against  successful  imitation — every  point  in  his 
manipulation  of  genuine  paper  and  in  his  artistic  sub 
stitutions  have  been  explained  with  a  fulness  and 
truthfulness  which,  while  they  must  be  comprehen 
sive,  rely  for  confirmation  upon  the  experiences  of 
years. 

Of  burglary  in  its  manifold  forms,  I  have  been 
equally  explicit.  In  this  connection  I  have  given  not 
only  my  own  experience,  but  the  statements,  revela 
tions  and  admissions  of  the  criminals  themselves.  In 
many  cases  the  materials  have  been  furnished  by  men 
whom  I  have  arrested,  some  of  whom  have  reformed, 
and  are  now  leading  honest  lives,  and  others  who  are 
to-day  inmates  of  prisons.  Evidence  of  this  charac 
ter  must  not  be  doubted,  and  the  inner  workings  of 
the  burglar's  profession,  as  told  by  the  experienced 
cracksmen  themselves,  must  prove  of  interest  to  all. 

It  is,  perhaps,  a  matter  not  to  be  exultant  about, 
but,  during  my  life  as  a  detective,  I  have,  for  various 
reasons  of  a  politic  nature,  become  intimately  ac 
quainted  with  the  men  whom  I  was  most  anxious  to 
apprehend,  mingling  with  them  in  their  ordinary 
walks,  entirely  unsuspected,  until  the  time  for  action 
arrived  and  arrests  were  necessary.  It  has  always 
been  a  matter  of  regret  to  me  to  contemplate  the  evil 
results  of  criminal  practices,  and  in  many  instances 
I  have  interested  myself  in  behalf  of  these  men,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

frequently,  I  am  happy  to  state,  with  such  success 
that  they  have  been  won  from  their  evil  ways,  and 
and  have  afterwards  lived  an  honorable  life,  and  en 
gaged  in  useful  and  remunerative  pursuits. 

Every  branch  of  crime  has  been  thoroughly 
treated  ;  the  modes  and  manners,  the  devices  and 
expedients,  the  preparations  and  preliminaries,  and 
finally,  the  nicety  and  skill  with  which  the  eventual 
operation  is  performed.  It  must  not  be  imagined 
that  the  process  by  which  a  burglar  enters  your 
counting-house  or  store,  or  by  which  the  counterfeiter 
and  the  forger  succeed  in  inimitable  imitations  is  sim 
ply  the  result  of  a  few  hours'  labor,  for  such  is  rarely, 
if  ever,  the  case.  Often  days  and  weeks,  and  in 
many  cases  months,  elapse  before  sufficient  perfection 
is  reached  to  warrant  the  attempted  execution. 

Of  the  many  departments  of  crime,  the  most  suc 
cessful,  and  the  branch  which  contains  the  largest 
number  of  practitioners,  is  that  of  pocket-picking, 
and  so  dexterous  has  the  thief  become,  that  active, 
wide-awake  men  have  been  robbed  without  being  able 
to  recall  a  single  circumstance  under  which  the  deed 
might  have  been  committed. 

Men,  experienced  travelers,  too,  have  retired  to  bed 
in  elegant  apartments  in  first-class  hotels,  and  in  the 
morning  have  been  astounded  at  the  fact  that,  not 
withstanding  their  precautions  with  lock  and  key, 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

with  bolt  and  bar,  the  stealthy  thief  had  entered  their 
chambers,  and  while  they  peacefully  slept  had  plun 
dered  them  of  their  jewelry  and  their  money. 

To  the  operations  of  that  fraternity  who  prac 
tice  the  "  Confidence  Game,"  I  have  given  considera 
ble  attention,  and  their  numerous  expedients  to  fleece 
the  unwary,  are  given  in  detail.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  dangerous  classes  which  infest  the  community, 
and  without  a  knowledge  of  their  schemes,  many  as 
tute  business  men  have  been  successfully  duped,  and 
have  lost  considerable  sums  of  money. 

The  shop-lifter,  too ;  that  bane  of  the  merchant 
and  the  tradesman,  receive  their  meed  of  attention, 
and  their  modes  of  proceeding  are  fully  and  compre 
hensively  explained.  The  steamboat  and  sleeping- 
car  thieves,  those  who  prey  so  successfully  upon  the 
traveling  public,  and  who  in  so  many  instances  escape 
detection  or  even  suspicion,  have  been  treated  by  a 
master  hand,  and  much  of  the  material  here  used  is 
from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  most  successful  operators 
in  this  branch  of  crime,  who  is  at  the  present  time  an 
inmate  of  an  eastern  prison. 

The  entire  school  of  crime  has  been  thoroughly 
searched,  and  the  best  and  most  reliable  experiences 
only  have  been  given.  The  work  of  "  'prentice 
hands"  has  been  deemed  unworthy  a  place,  and  I 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

have  dealt  solely  with  the  adept,  the  skillful  and  the 
scientific. 

As  I  have  previously  stated,  the  ignorance  of 
those  engaged  in  commercial  and  financial  pursuits, 
has  been  one  of  the  main  impelling  reasons  for  the 
preparation  of  this  work,  and  I  trust  that  by  afford 
ing  a  knowledge  of  the  modes  of  criminal  working,  I 
may  be  of  service  to  my  fellow  men.  "  An  ounce  of  ~\ 
prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure,"  is  an  adage  as 
truthful  as  it  is  ancient,  and  by  pointing  out  the  dan 
gers  that  lie  in  the  paths  of  the  merchant,  the 
banker  and  the  private  man  of  fortune,  I  may  enable 
them  to  take  such  precautions  as  will  render  a  suc 
cessful  attempt  upon  them  an  impossibility. 


THIRTY  YEARS  A   DETECTIVE. 


THE  SOCIETY  THIEF. 

Refugees  from  England.— Stealing  only  Portable  and  Valuable 
Articles. — A  Stolen  Bank  Check  at  a  Wedding. — Experts 
at  Pocket-picking. — Robberies  at  Funerals. — Theatre  and 
Church  Thieves. 

AMONG  all  classes  of  people,  it  will  be  found 
that  every  one  has  a  particular  way  of  doing 
things,  and  that  their  every  action  is  bound  to  bear 
some  resemblance  to  each  other,  both  in  character 
and  method  ;  and  this  peculiarity  applies  with  equal 
force  to  those  who  live  dishonest  lives,  and  who  com 
mit  unlawful  deeds.  A  knowledge  of  these  peculiar 
ities,  which  is  only  gained  by  long  experience,  is  of 
great  service  to  detectives  in  their  efforts  to  bring 
criminals  to  justice.  There  are  numerous  ways,  of 
course,  in  which  a  murder,  a  burglary  or  a  theft  may 
be  committed,  and  a  thorough  detective  will  always 
carefully  study  every  case  that  comes  before  him,  in 
order  to  determine  at  the  outset,  exactly  by  what 
means  and  in  what  manner  the  deed  itself  was  per 
formed.  Then,  if  the  developments  are  such  as  to 

27 


28  THE     SOCIETY     THIEF. 

directly  indicate  the  handiwork  of  the  professional 
criminal,  he  will  call  to  mind,  among  the  number  of 
criminals  who  have  been  brought  to  his  knowledge, 
some  one  of  the  many,  whose  work  in  the  past  has 
shown  any  marked  similarity  to  the  case  under  inves 
tigation. 

There  are  very  few  thieves  indeed,  who  work  in 
all  fashions  and  in  all  places.  The  large  majority  of 
them  make  themselves  familiar  with  a  particular  mode 
of  working,  and  then  carry  on  their  operations  among 
a  certain  class  of  people. 

It  is  an  unquestionable  fact  that  there  is  a  fine 
art  in  roguery  as  there  is  in  the  honest  callings  of  the 
world,  and  men  in  this  branch  of  labor,  soon  discover 
their  peculiar  fitness  or  adaptability  for  certain  grades 
of  work,  just  as  in  the  trades  and  professions,  individ 
uals  develop  certain  gifts  which  lead  to  prominence, 
fortune  and  success.  A  man  may  commence  the 
career  of  a  thief  by  simply  stealing,  but  he  soon  dis 
covers  that  there  are  certain  places  where  he  can  steal 
more  easily,  and  certain  means  by  which  his  stealings 
can  be  conducted  more  safely.  There  are  also  local 
ities  where  he  can  find  more  to  steal  than  others,  and 
where  the  property  to  be  purloined  can  be  carried 
away  with  fewer  chances  of  detection. 

As  a  matter  of  course  the  intelligent  thief  selects 
these  in  his  future  operations,  and  this  leads  to  the 


THE     SOCIETY     THIEF.  29 

creation  of  certain  fancies  about  their  work  which 
cling  to  them  for  long  periods  of  time.  They  grow 
to  forming  affections  for  certain  places  and  certain 
people,  and  having  a  sort  of  pride  in  their  operations, 
all  these  influences  contribute  to  keep  him  in  a  cer- 
tian  well-defined  routine,  which  is  of  vast  importance 
to  the  detective  and  materially  facilitates  his  in 
vestigations. 

By  this  means  certain  well-defined  classifications 
have  come  to  be  acknowledged  and  understood  by  all 
men  engaged  iu  the  honorable  profession  of  unearth 
ing  crime  and  bringing  criminals  to  justice.  So 
clearly  are  these  classifications  defined  that  it  would 
be  a  comparatively  easy  matter  to  compile  an  ex 
tensive  list  of  the  crooked  people  who  have  either 
fallen  into,  or  deliberately  chosen  and  consistently 
followed  their  own  peculiar  lines  of  work. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  life  of  the 
detective  is  confined  to  the  chase  for  daring  murderers 
and  desperate  burglars  ;  on  the  contrary,  much  of 
their  time  is  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  other  game — • 
who  if  they  do  not  excite  as  much  general  attention, 
are  fully  as  dangerous  and  quite  as  difficult  to  entrap. 

There  is  a  class  of  criminals  in  active  practice  at 
the  present  time,  who  display  exceeding  ingenuity 
and  artistic  skill  in  other  operations,  and  my  labors 
in  the  present  instance  would  be  incomplete  without 


30  THE    SOCIETY     THIEF. 

devoting  a  short  space  to  their  description.  They  are 
very  appropriately  denominated  "Society  Thieves," 
and  their  presence  is  to  be  found  through  all  the 
gradations  of  modern  society,  but  owing  to  the  reluc 
tance  of  their  victims  to  acquire  publicity  by  a  public 
prosecution,  the  general  community  learns  but  little 
of  the  movements  of  the  society  thief,  and  that  little 
so  incompletely  and  unsatisfactorily,  that  no  adequate 
idea  is  gained  of  the  extent  and  manner  of  their 
operations.  Detectives  are  constantly  hearing  of 
them  however,  and  so  numerous  and  audacious  has 
this  class  of  criminals  become,  that  the  presence 
of  a  detective  is  as  necessary  at  any  social  event  of 
any  importance,  as  the  guests  themselves.  If  the 
gathering  is  an  unusually  large  one  as  many  as  half  a 
dozen  detectives  are  an  absolute  necessity. 

The  society  thief  is  invariably  a  man  or  woman 
with  more  social  standing  than  means  to  support  it, 
and  of  late  years  they  have  been  largely  made  up  from 
the  ranks  of  the  needy  but  pretentious  adventurers, 
whom  English  society  has  purged  itself  of,  and  who, 
having  sought  a  refuge  in  America,  are  preying  upon 
our  wealthy  and  intellectual  social  circles. 

The  social  gathering  which  offers  the  best  oppor 
tunities  for  peculations  is  the  wedding  in  high  life, 
and  the  wedding  thief,  as  a  general  thing,  has  matters 
entirely  his  own  way.  His  first  and  greatest  difficulty, 


THE    SOCIETY     THIEF.  31 

however,  is  in  gaining  admission,  but  not  unfrequently, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  he  holds  a  position  in  society 
which  enables  him  to  enter  by  invitation.  Sometimes 
he  enters  upon  the  pretext  of  being  a  newspaper  re 
porter,  and  as  society  is  very  anxious  to  appear  in  the 
papers,  he  is  cordially  received — and  sometimes  he  is 
obliged  to  sneak  in.  Once  in,  however,  his  course  is 
easy,  and  he  takes  his  choice  of  overcoats,  hats,  and 
other  wearing  apparel  without  the  slightest  opposition. 
He  carefully  inspects  the  numerous  and  costly  pre 
sents,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  which  of  the  most 
valuable  of  the  smaller  articles  will  please  him  the 
best,  and  then,  when  unobserved,  he  slips  them  into 
his  pocket  or  under  his  coat.  At  other  times  they 
merely  watch  for  an  opportunity  to  slip  out  of  the 
crowd,  upon  some  pretext  or  another,  and  then  work 
at  their  ease  in  the  deserted  rooms  in  the  other  por 
tions  of  the  house.  In  some  cases,  whole  houses 
have  been  thoroughly  pillaged  by  them  while  dancing 
was  in  progress  in  the  lower  rooms. 

These  thieves  steal  only  portable  and  valuable 
articles,  and  generally  work  alone,  but  frequently  a 
husband  and  wife  will  engage  in  the  business  together, 
and  in  this  way  greater  freedom  and  less  liability  to 
detection  is  the  result.  It  is  a  matter  of  fact  that 
not  long  since  a  very  respectably  dressed  and  exceed 
ingly  agreeable  man  and  wife  were  detected  in  steal- 


3 2  THE    SOCIETY    THIEF. 

ing  some  valuable  trinkets  presented  to  the  little 
daughter  of  the  host  at  a  birthday  party,  and  it  was 
afterwards  discovered  that  while  the  father  and  mother 
were  engaged  in  this  robbery,  their  son  was  dancing 
in  the  parlor  with  the  young  lady  who  was  being 
plundered. 

Among  the  numerous  presents  exhibited  at  a 
fashionable  wedding  in  New  York  City  lately,  was  a 
check  from  the  father  of  the  bride  to  the  happy  couple, 
for  ten  thousand  dollars.  During  the  reception 
which  followed  the  ceremony,  a  daring  thief  abstracted 
the  genuine  check  and  substituted  in  its  place  a  well- 
executed  counterfeit  and  forgery.  The  thief  received 
the  money  for  the  check  at  the  bank  on  which  it  was 
drawn,  and  the  forgery  was  not  discovered  until  some 
days  afterwards,  when  the  young  husband  of  the  bride 
attempted  to  realize  upon  the  bounty  of  his  father-in- 
law.  Every  effort  was  made  to  discover  this  daring 
thief,  but  so  long  a  time  had  elapsed  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  fasten  suspicion  upon  anyone,  and  the 
search  was  at  length  abandoned. 

The  more  public  the  wedding  the  better  the  op 
portunity  of  the  thieves,  and  when  the  ceremony  is 
solemnized  in  church,  there  is  always  a  lavish  display 
of  costly  jewelry  which  furnishes  a  rich  harvest  to  the 
dexterous  practitioner.  Ladies  and  gentlemen  don 
their  best  garments  to  honor  such  events,  and,  as  a 


THE    SOCIETY     THIEF.  33 

general  rule,  wear  their  most  expensive  articles  of 
jewelry.  The  society  thief  is  usually  an  excellent 
hand  at  picking  a  pocket,  and  a  ready  wielder  of  the 
"  palm  nippers,"  which  are  used  to  snip  off  jewels 
from  the  ears  and  persons  of  those  who  wear  them. 
As  a  rule  he  is  accompanied  by  an  accomplice,  to 
whom  he  passes  whatever  articles  he  secures,  and 
should  he  be  arrested,  no  criminating  object  is  found 
upon  his  person,  and  it  is  difficult  to  make  a  case 
against  him. 

Strange  and  unnatural  as  it  may  seem,  stealing  at 
funerals  occurs  so  frequently  that  it  has  come  to  be 
recognized  by  detectives  as  a  distinct  branch  of  the 
predatory  profession,  and  is  generally  practiced  by  a 
male  or  female  professional  thief.  These  funeral 
thieves  keep  fully  posted  about  the  wealthy  funerals 
that  take  place  from  time  to  time,  and  are  generally 
present  where  any  opportunity  is  presented  to  ply 
their  vocation.  They  steal  anything  in  the  house  of 
mourning,  from  mantel  ornaments  to  jewelry,  and 
generally  without  incurring  much  risk  of  detection. 
The  publicity  which  is  usually  given  to  funerals,  and 
the  privileges  which  are  extended  to  any  one  who  has 
ever  known  the  deceased,  to  come  and  take  a  last 
look  at  him,  render  access  to  many  houses  easy, 
which  would  otherwise  be  closely  barred  against  their 
intention.  The  funeral  thief  thus  readily  passes  for 


34  T&E    SOCIETY    THIEF. 

an  outside  friend  of  the  dead  person,  and  is  afforded 
the  liberty  of  the  house,  which  he  never  fails  to  utilize 
if  there  is  anything  to  be  stolen. 

Perhaps  the  meanest  sort  of  thief  who  adopts  any 
special  line,  is  the  one  who  robs  children.  This  is 
called  the  "  Kinchin  lay,"  and  is  generally  practiced 
by  women,  though  there  are  many  men,  who  are  found 
following  this  despicable  calling.  Their  process  of 
operation  consists  simply  in  robbing  children  on  their 
way  to  the  stores  to  which  they  have  been  sent  by 
their  parents  to  make  purchases — and  it  is  to  the 
credit  of  the  American  thieves  that  they  are  very 
rarely  found  guilty  of  following  so  mean  a  vocation. 
It  was  introduced  into  this  country  from  England, 
but  thanks  to  the  vigilance  of  the  officers,  the  thieves 
who  practice  the  "  Kinchin  lay,"  are  arrested  so  fre 
quently,  that  it  is  fast  growing  into  disfavor,  and  it 
is  hoped,  will  soon  cease  altogether. 

There  is  another  class  of  thieves,  mostly  juveniles, 
who  are  known  as  theatre  thieves.  They  perpetually 
haunt  the  doors  of  play-houses,  and  pickpockets  in 
discriminately  amid  the  ingoing  and  the  outgoing 
rush.  Church  thieves  are  also  recognized  as  an  in 
dependent  branch  of  criminality,  and  there  are  others 
who  make  railway-depots  the  scene  of  their  battles 
against  society  and  honesty. 

The  street-car  thief  is  another  criminal  who  im- 


THE    SOCIETY     THIEF.  35 

presses  himself  frequently  upon  the  public,  but  he  is 
not  so  numerous  as  he  used  to  be,  for  the  conductors 
and  spotters  have  learned  to  know  and  to  guard 
against  him. 

As  a  general  rule,  those  who  engage  in  these  forms 
of  petty  thieving  alluded  to,  either  go  unpunished  or 
escape  with  light  penalties,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
their  victims  are  indisposed  to  incur  the  publicity  of 
appearing  as  a  witness  in  a  police  court  trial,  against 
them.  The  detectives,  however,  know  a  vast  number 
of  them  and  are  fully  acquainted  with  their  peculiar 
methods  of  operating.  When  called  upon  in  any 
particular  case,  they,  as  I  have  stated  before,  ascer 
tain  when  and  where  the  robbery  occurred,  and,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  the  circumstances  under  which  it 
was  accomplished.  This  much  obtained,  it  is  the  ex 
ception,  when  they  are  not  able  to  get  at  once  so  far 
toward  detecting  the  offenders  as  to  suspect  some 
particular  person  or  persons  of  being  the  guilty  one — 
and  the  result  invariably  justifies  the  original  suspicion. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  that  by  carefully  studying  the 
peculiarities  even  of  the  small  criminals,  and  from  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  their  various  classifications 
the  detective  is  enabled,  in  a  short  time,  to  conduct 
important  investigations  to  speedy  and  correct  con 
clusions,  which  would  be  impossible  with  persons  un 
skilled  in  all  the  minutiae  of  their  profession. 


THE    PICKPOCKET. 

The  First  Career  of  the  Professional  Criminal. — Going  in 
Mobs. —  Waylaying  Bank  Depositors. —  The  Man  Who  is 
Ever  on  the  Watch  and  Cannot  be  Robbed. — Slang  Terms. 
— Railroad  Car  Thieves. — Stealing  the  Diamond  Stud. — 

Watch  and   Chain. — Purses    and  Pocket-books. — Street    Car 

Thieves. —  The  Female  Thief. 

IF  we  trace  the  career  of  the  professional  criminal 
to  its  incipiency,  it  will  almost  invariably  be 
found  that  the  first  plunge  into  the  vortex  of  crime 
has  been  that  of  pocket-picking.  Among  the  alarm 
ing  number  of  professional  thieves  of  all  grades  in 
the  country  to-day,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  one 
who  had  not  at  the  commencement  of  his  dishonest 
experience,  been  engaged  in  picking  the  pockets  of 
the  innocent  and  the  unsuspecting.  It  is  equally 
true  also  that  of  all  the  departments  of  crime  as  now 
practiced,  there  is  not  one  which  contains  a  larger 
number  of  adept  operators  than  that  of  pickpockets. 
In  almost  every  crowded  assembly  they  will  assuredly 
be  found.  They  follow  the  circuits  of  the  racing 
36 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  37 

season  ;  they  are  hangers  on  about  the  traveling  cir 
cus  ;  and  are  to  be  found  at  the  theatres,  and  in  the 
church.  At  mass  meetings,  at  merry  makings  and 
even  at  funerals,  this  pestilent  thief  obtrudes  him 
self,  and  dismay  and  loss  inevitably  follow  his  appear 
ance. 

The  grades  of  this  class  of  criminals  are  exceed 
ingly  numerous,  and  range  from  the  ragged  urchin 
who  steals  a  pocket-handkerchief  to  the  expert  pro 
fessional  who  can  with  ease  and  safety  remove  a  well 
filled  wallet  from  the  inside  coat  pocket  of  his  hap 
less  victim.  The  intermediate  grades  are  well  de 
fined,  and  vary  according  to  the  skillfulness  and  dar 
ing  of  the  thieves  themselves.  In  this  branch  of  crime 
women  as  well  as  men  are  active  workers,  and  many 
of  the  female  thieves  are  as  successful  as  the  men,  in 
the  ease  and  grace  with  which  they  relieve  the  unsus 
pecting  of  their  valuables.  There  are  some  male 
thieves  who  confine  their  operations  entirely  to 
ladies,  and  there  are  others  who  could  not  be  induced 
to  rob  a  lady  under  any  circumstances  whatever.  The 
female  thieves  operate  indiscriminately,  although  they 
are  more  successful  with  ladies  than  with  gentlemen. 
In  the  accepted  language  of  the  thief,  those  who  op 
erate  on  men  are  termed  "  Bloke-buzzers,"  while 
those  who  make  ladies  their  special  victims  receive 
the  euphonious  appellation  of  "  Moll-buzzers." 


38  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

A  description  of  the  means  resorted  to  by  the  fra 
ternity  of  pickpockets  may  prove  both  interesting  and 
instructive,  and  as  I  have  had  a  large  experience  with 
all  classes  of  this  community,  I  will  endeavor  to  de 
scribe  their  operations  for  the  benefit  of  suffering  hu 
manity. 

In  order  to  give  due  prominence  even  to  question 
able  merit,  I  will  begin  by  detailing  the  operations  of 
the  more  ambitious  of  the  male  pickpockets,  those 
who  frequent  the  localities  where  the  large  banking 
institutions  are  situated,  and  endeavor  to  rob  those 
who  are  entering  or  leaving  the  banks.  For  the  ac 
complishment  of  success  in  work  of  this  nature,  four 
men  usually  travel  together,  who  are  generally  called 
"a  mob."  The  man  who  is  to  do  the  actual  stealing 
is  called  the  " tool,"  or  "  hook,"  and  the  others  are 
known  as  "  stalls." 

After  selecting  their  victim  or  "  mark,"  who  is 
engaged  in  drawing  a  large  sum  of  money  from  the 
bank,  one  of  the  number  will  take  up  his  position  in 
side  of  the  bank,  where  he  can  watch  every  movement 
of  the  man  who  is  to  be  robbed.  This  is  done  in  or 
der  to  ascertain  exactly  where  the  money  is  placed, 
so  that  no  delay  may  ensue  in  locating  the  desired 
"plunder."  Having  acquired  the  necessary  informa 
tion,  the  "stall"  will  inform  his  companions  on  the 
sidewalk  in  which  pocket  the  money  is  secured,  and 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  39 

they  then  proceed  to  business ;  as  a  general  rule,  a 
man  who  draws  several  packages  of  bills  from  a  bank, 
will  place  them  in  his  inside  coat  pocket,  and  in  this 
instance  we  will  assume  that  the  person  who  has  ex 
cited  the  cupidity  of  the  thieves,  has  placed  his 
money  in  the  inside  pocket  on  the  right  side  of  the 
coat.  He  emerges  from  the  bank,  reaches  the  side 
walk,  and  proceeds  upon  his  way.  The  thieves  follow 
him  within  easy  distance,  but  will  not  make  any  at 
tempt  to  accomplish  their  purpose  unless  they  notice 
that  he  is  about  to  enter  a  crowded  thoroughfare,  a 
car,  a  narrow  street,  or  through  a  hallway  into  a  build 
ing.  If  in  a  crowd  or  narrow  street  the  thieves  will, 
without  any  preliminary  notice  whatever,  act  as  fol 
lows  : — Two  of  the  " stalls"  will  immediately  manage 
to  get  in  front  of  the  man— and  these  men  are  called 
"front  stalls  "-—this  is  done  for  the  purpose  of  stop 
ping  him  or  blocking  his  way  for  a  moment  when  the 
time  arrives.  The  "tool"  or  "hook"  will  also  get 
slightly  ahead  of  the  man,  and  when  the  moment  for 
action  arrives  a  slight  cough  will  bring  the  two  "front 
stalls"  to  a  stand-still.  This,  of  course,  impedes  the 
progress  of  the  victim.  Quick  as  a  flash,  and  yet  with 
an  ease  of  motion  that  attracts  no  particular  atten 
tion,  the  "  tool "  turns  sideways,  almost  facing  the 
man,  but  upon  his  right  side.  The  "tool"  usually 
carries  a  coat  upon  his  arm  for  the  purpose  of  covering 


4o  THE    PJCKPOCttEt. 

his  hand  ;  with  the  concealed  hand  he  will  work  under 
the  man's  coat,  and  taking  the  wallet  or  package  by 
the  top,  will  raise  it  straight  up,  until  it  is  entirely  clear 
of  the  pocket ;  then  drawing  it  under  his  own  coat, 
the  robbery  is  complete.  During  this  operation, 
which  requires  but  a  few  seconds,  the  "  stall  "  behind 
the  man  is  pushing  and  shoving  him  repeatedly  on 
the  left  side,  as  if  with  the  intention  of  getting  past 
him.  The  left  side  being  furthest  from  where  the 
money  is  concealed,  answers  two  purposes :  it  not 
only  serves  to  prevent  the  man  from  feeling  or  de 
tecting  the  easy  sliding  motion  of  the  wallet  as  it  is 
being  drawn  out  of  his  pocket  on  the  other  side,  and 
it  at  the  same  time  helps  to  turn  the  man  more  to 
ward  the  "  tool "  or  "  hook,"  so  that  his  work  is  ren 
dered  easier.  While  this  operation  is  going  on  the 
two  "  front  stalls"  have  not  betrayed  the  slightest  in 
terest  in  the  proceedings,  and  from  all  appearances  are 
entirely  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  a  man  is  being  delib 
erately  robbed  behind  them.  They  have  not  so  much 
as  turned  their  heads,  and  consequently  do  not  know 
when  the  operation  is  completed,  so  that  they  may 
stand  aside  and  let  che  victim  pass.  In  order  to  over 
come  this,  the  pickpockets  have  adopted  certain 
words  or  signals,  which  are  thoroughly  understood 
by  the  craft,  and  these  signals  are  given  by  the  "  tool  " 
or  "hook."  If  he  is  rather  slow  about  getting  to  the 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  41 

wallet  or  the  money,  and  he  notices  that  the  front  men 
are  getting  somewhat  uneasy,  he  calls  out  "  stick !" 
This  means  that  in  a  few  seconds  he  will  be  successful, 
and  that  they  are  to  stay  in  their  respective  positions. 
After  he  has  secured  the  wallet  he  will  chirp  like  a 
bird,  or  will  utter  the  word  "  lam  !"  This  means  to  let 
the  man  go,  and  to  get  out  of  the  way  as  soon  as 
possible.  This  word  is  also  used  in  case  the  money 
cannot  be  taken,  and  further  attempts  are  useless. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  it  is  somewhat  difficult 
to  get  the  wallet  or  package  out  of  the  pocket,  and 
if  any  unusual  force  is  used  in  withdrawing  it,  the 
man  will  feel  it,  and  give  an  alarm.  In  cases  of  this 
kind,  the  "  tool,"  when  he  has  the  wallet  in  his  fingers 
and  ready  to  be  drawn  out,  will  cry,  "  Rouse  !"  At 
this  signal  all  of  the  "  stalls  "  give  the  man  a  general 
push  at  the  same  time,  and  during  the  confusion  of 
the  moment,  the  "  tool  "  deftly  pulls  out  the  wallet 
and  decamps. 

While  the  detailing  of  this  operation  has  taken 
some  time,  the  operation  itself  is  performed  in  a  few 
seconds,  and  in  almost  every  instance,  without  at 
tracting  the  attention  or  exciting  the  suspicion  of  the 
individual  who  is  so  ruthlessly  despoiled  of  his  money. 

As  a  general  rule  a  merchant  who  goes  himself,  or 
sends  his  clerk  to  the  bank  to  make  a  deposit,  places 
the  money  and  checks  lengthwise  in  his  bank  book, 


42  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

which  is  generally  shorter  than  the  notes,  and  allows 
them  to  project  beyond  the  edges  of  the  book.  The 
book  is  then  placed  in  the  inside  pocket  and  so  car 
ried  to  the  bank.  A  man  is  usually  suspicious  and 
careful  when  he  is  intrusted  with  a  large  sum  of 
money  and  the  thieves  have  therefore  to  be  very 
careful  in  their  manipulations.  When  a  gentleman 
thus  engaged,  is  subjected  to  a  crowding  or  pushing 
from  others,  he  naturally  places  his  hand  upon  the 
book,  which  contains  his  money,  in  order  to  be  as 
sured  of  its  safety.  The  thieves  are  perfectly  aware 
of  this,  and  when  the  opportunity  offers  they  simply 
seize  the  ends  of  the  bills  which  extend  beyond  the 
book,  and  by  a  quick  and  dexterous  motion  extract 
the  money  and  leave  the  book  remaining  in  the 
pocket.  As  a  natural  result,  when  the  suspicious  de 
positor  by  feeling  upon  the  outside,  finds  his  book 
safely  bestowed  within,  he  gives  no  thought  to  the 
fact  that  he  has  been  robbed  and  does  not  discover 
his  misfortune  until  he  reaches  the  bank.  This  pro 
cess  is  called  by  the  thieves  "  weeding." 

There  are  some  people  who  imagine  that  it  is  an 
impossibility  for  a  thief  to  rob  them,  and  they  arc) 
ever  on  the  alert.  These  people  place  their  bank 
book  and  money  in  the  outside  pocket  of  their  sack- 
coat,  and  by  keeping  their  hand  upon  the  book  imag 
ine  that  a  robbery  is  impossible.  The  thieves,  how- 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  43 

ever,  know  better  than  this,  and  their  mode  of  pro- 
ceeeding  is  as  follows  : 

They  patiently  bide  their  time  until  the  man 
reaches  the  door  of  the  bank,  which  must  be  opened 
to  admit  him — one  man  will  then  step  immediately 
in  front  of  him,  or  a  little  to  the  left — and  then  stop 
right  in  front  of  the  doorway  pretending  to  look  at  a 
paper,  or,  to  count  some  money  which  he  has  in  his 
hands — the  consequence  is,  that  instead  of  pushing 
the  man  aside  so  he  can  use  his  left  hand  to  open  the 
door — the  victim  will,  unthinkingly,  reach  out  his  right 
hand — which  had  hitherto  guarded  his  pocket,  and 
pull  open  the  door — the  "  stall"  immediately  moves  a 
trifle  more  to  the  front  for  a  second,  and  then  turns 
away — that  second,  however,  is  enough,  for  while  the 
victim  and  his  "  stall"  are  thus  engaged,  the  pick 
pocket  has  quietly  taken  out  the  money  and 
decamped.  This  in  thieves,  vernacular  is  called  a 
"  tale  trick,"  and  bank  messengers  have  frequently 
been  robbed  in  this  manner. 

Should  the  money  be  carried  in  the  pockets  of  the 
pantaloons,  the  methods  are,  of  course,  different. 
This  style  of  robbery  is  much  more  difficult,  and  as 
a  general  thing  is  not  so  remunerative  as  stealing 
from  men  who  are  either  going  to  or  returning  from 
the  bank.  The  thieves  who  follow  this  branch  of 
their  calling  are  as  a  class  more  rude  and  rough  in 


44  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

their  appearance  and  nature,  and  their  actions,  while 
at  work,  are  more  abrupt  and  harsh. 

This  kind  of  robbery  is  generally  practiced  on  the 
cars — (called  "  rattlers") — or  in  a  crowd — and  if  upon 
the  cars  is  performed  on  the  platforms  or  in  the  door 
ways  of  these  crowded  vehicles. 

It  may  be  as  well  to  state  that  among  thieves  cer 
tain  terms  are  used  to  represent  articles  which  other 
wise  have  proper  names.  A  pocket-book  is  called 
"  leather"  ;  a  wallet  "  a  pittman"  or  "  pitt"  ;  a 
pocket  is  called  a  "  kick"  ;  hands  are  termed 
"  dukes"  ;  a  handkerchief  a  "  wipe,"  and  a  hat  is 
dubbed  a  "tile." 

The  thieves  of  this  latter  class  will  generally  select 
for  their  victim — (which  they  call  a  "  mark") — an 
elderly  man,  or  one  who  appears  to  hail  from  the 
country,  The  first  are  usually  more  feeble  and  not 
supposed  to  be  as  sharp  as  a  young  man — while  the 
countryman  is  supposed  to  carry  more  ready  money 
about  with  him  than  a  person  belonging  to  the  city. 

The  pickpockets  board  a  street  car  and  take 
their  positions  on  the  rear  platform — always  being 
careful  to  select  a  car  which  is  already  crowded. 
For  the  purpose  of  illustration  we  will  assume  that 
there  is  an  individual  on  the  platform,  who  looks  as  if 
he  might  have  some  money  in  his  pocket-book. 
The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  ascertain  in  which 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  45 

pocket  the  money  is  carried,  and  to  do  this  the 
thief  lightly  runs  his  hand  across  the  front  of  both 
pockets  of  the  "  mark" — and  this  operation  of  feeling 
for  a  pocket-book  is  called  "  fanning."  Should  the 
pocket-book  be  found  in  the  left  pocket,  the  "  tool" 
will  say  to  his  companions  "left  kick,"  and  this  will 
inform  them  all  where  the  money  is  located.  The 
"stalls"  then  surround  the  "mark,"  and  the  "tool" 
begins  to  work.  With  his  hand  covered  with  a 
coat  over  his  arm,  he  inserts  the  two  first  fingers 
of  his  right  hand,  just  beyond  the  first  joint — into 
the  victim's  pocket,  with  the  inside  of  the  fingers 
against  the  pocket  lining  farthest  from  the  body. 
First  bending  one  finger  and  then  the  other,  he 

o  o 

draws  the  pocket  up  little  by  little,  which  is  known 
as  "  reefing,"  until  the  pocket-book  is  drawn  up 
within  reach.  The  moment  he  is  able  to  take  hold 
of  the  pocket-book — called  "tapping,"  he  quietly 
calls  out  "  Rouse  !  "  the  victim  receives  a  rough  push 
from  the  stalls — and  out  comes  the  pocket-book, 
which  is  at  once  passed  to  one  of  the  stalls.  This 
is  done  to  guard  against  accidental  discovery,  for 
should  the  victim  miss  his  money  and  accuse  the 
"  tool"  of  the  theft,  he  will  not  find  the  book 
upon  him,  and  that  is  generally  sufficient  to  enable 
him  to  get  off.  The  "  stall"  requires  to  be  in 
formed  when  the  pocket-book  is  taken,  and  he 


46  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

waits  for  the  "  tool"  to  whisper  "  collar  this !"  or 
to  chirp  like  a  bird,  when  he  knows  that  he  is  to 
receive  the  money,  and  that  the  robbery  has  been 
successfully  ended. 

In  some  cases,  particularly  among  persons  from 
the  country,  the  travelers  have  heard  remarkable 
stories  about  the  picking  of  pockets,  and  have  made 
up  their  minds  that  such  a  fate  shall  not  befall  them. 
To  make  sure  of  this  they  invariably  travel  about 
with  their  hands  in  their  pockets  and  on  top  their 
purses.  This  careful  and  watchful  traveler  gets 
on  a  street  car,  and  the  pickpockets  at  once  select 
him  as  their  "  mark."  He  is  immediately  pressed 
and  hemmed  in  by  the  gang,  and  the  hand  that  is  not 
religiously  guarding  the  treasure  in  his  pocket  is  kept 
back  by  the  shoulder  of  one  of  the  stalls..  A  quiet 
command  "  tile  him  !"  is  given,  and  the  countryman's 
hat  is  shoved  forward  from  behind.  The  countryman 
not  being  able  to  use  his  other  arm,  pulls  his  hand 
out  of  his  pocket  and  secures  his  hat.  As  soon  as 
this  is  done,  one  of  the  "  stalls  "  gets  into  position, 
and  places  his  shoulder  under  the  countryman's  arm, 
thus  preventing  him  for  a  moment  from  again  placing 
his  hand  in  his  pocket.  In  a  second  the  "  tool "  is  at 
work,  and  in  another  moment  the  gentleman  from  the 
country  finds  plenty  of  room  on  the  platform,  for  the 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  47 

thieves  have  left,  and  with  them  has  disappeared  his 
carefully  guarded  pocket-book. 

When  all  the  seats  in  a  street  car  are  occupied,  a 
pickpocket  will  occasionally  enter  and  take  up  a 
standing  position  in  front  of  some  gentleman  who 
has  his  coat  open.  Hanging  by  one  hand  to  the 
strap  suspended  from  the  roof  of  the  car,  and  with  a 
coat  thrown  over  his  other  arm,  he  will  attempt  a 
robbery — swaying  about  with  the  motion  of  the  car, 
he  manages  it  so,  that  his  coat  will  come  directly 
under  the  chin  of  the  seated  passenger,  and  under 
cover  of  that,  he  will  extract  a  pocket-book  from  the 
inside  pocket  of  the  man,  who  has  no  suspicion  of 
what  is  going  on.  Diamond  studs  of  great  value 
have  frequently  been  taken  from  the  bosoms  of  un 
suspecting  passengers  under  the  cover  of  a  coat  or 
newspaper,  which  the  standing  pickpocket  manages 
to  place  under  the  chin  of  his  victim,  apparently 
caused  by  the  motion  of  the  car.  If  a  diamond  stud 
with  a  screw  is  to  be  taken,  the  thief  after  covering 
the  stud  with  his  coat  or  newspaper,  will  gently  take 
hold  of  the  screw  with  his  thumb  and  forefinger,  and 
draw  the  bosom  of  the  shirt  away  from  the  body  of 
the  victim — the  thumb  nail  is  then  inserted  immedi 
ately  back  of  the  head  of  the  screw  and  then  with  a 
firm  twist  or  turn  of  the  hand,  the  screw  will  come 
out.  No  matter  how  difficult  this  operation  appears 


48  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

under  ordinary  circumstances,  it  will  invariably  yield 
to  the  application  of  the  thumb  under  the  setting  of 
the  stone.  Should  the  diamond  be  set  with  a  flat 
back  instead  of  a  screw,  it  is  impossible  to  detach  it 
from  the  bosom,  and  the  thief  will  instantly  desist 
from  further  efforts  to  remove  it.  A  diamond  pin  is 
unfastened  in  the  natural  way  and  then  raised  up 
straight.  A  pin  or  screw  stud  is  generally  called  a 
"  prop,"  by  the  thieves. 

Should  the  pickpockets  attempt  to  work  upon  a 
railroad  train,  they  generally  select  their  victim  in 
advance,  by  watching  at  the  ticket  office  and  noticing 
a  prospective  passenger  who  exhibits  a  large  amount 
of  money.  Should  no  favorable  opportunity  occur  to 
rob  him  while  he  is  getting  on  the  car,  the  thieves 
will  wait  until  he  is  quietly  seated,  when  one  of  their 
number  will  approach  him,  and  in  a  voice  or  author 
ity  inquire  : 

"  Where  is  your  ticket  for  ?" 

The  passenger,  supposing  his  questioner  to  be  a 
railroad  official,  will  at  once  inform  him,  when  the 
thief  will  reply : 

"  Then  you  must  take  the  next  car,"  indicating 
either  the  car  in  front  or  in  the  rear,  at  the  same  time 
picking  up  the  traveler's  valise,  with  a  view  of  assist 
ing  him  in  effecting  the  change,  and  calling  out  : 

"  Come  on,  sir !" 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  49 

The  man  follows  obediently,  and  the  mob  is  wait 
ing  for  him  on  the  platform.  As  soon  as  he  appears 
he  is  at  once  jammed  in,  and  robbed.  Their  previ 
ous  knowledge  of  the  location  of  his  money,  renders 
their  task  a  neasy  and  rapid  one,  and  the  robbery  is 
effected  in  a  flash. 

The  stealing  of  watches  is  most  extensively  prac 
ticed,  and  an  expert  thief  can  perform  this  operation 
in  a  second.  It  does  not  matter  where  the  man  may 
be,  or  under  what  circumstances  he  maybe  placed,  so 
that  he  is  standing  still,  or  sitting  down.  The  thief 
stands  partly  in  front  of  his  victim,  and  either  under 
the  cover  of  a  coat  or  newspaper,  or  by  placing  his  left 
hand  under  his  victim's  right  arm,  he  seizes  the  chain 
and  gently  raises  the  watch  up  straight.  When  it  is 
entirely  out  of  the  pocket,  it  rests  in  the  palm  of  the 
hand,  the  ring  of  the  watch  between  the  first  finger 
and  the  thumb.  By  pressing  the  thumb  in  one  direc 
tion  and  the  finger  in  an  opposite  manner,  the  ring  is 
forced  out  of  the  watch,  and  then  the  chain  is  dropped 
easily,  and  the  thief  makes  his  escape 

Both  watch  and  chain,  however,  are  frequently 
taken,  but  this  operation  requires  a  few  seconds  more 
time.  The  bar  or  hook  of  the  chain  must  first  be 
taken  out  of  the  button-hole,  and  then  taking  the 
chain  in  his  hand,  the  thief  draws  the  watch  up 
3 


50  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

straight,  out  of  the  pocket,  without  attracting  the  least 
attention. 

This  operation  is  a  very  simple  and  safe  one  for 
the  expert  thief,  but  it  is  not  a  very  profitable  one,  for 
the  reason,  that  he  seldom  receives  more  than  one 
fourth  of  the  value  of  the  watch,  from  the  dishonest 
pawnbroker  who  deals  in  stolen  goods.  The  chain, 
if  a  gold  one,  is  generally  sold  for  its  weight,  and 
brings  a  uniform  price. 

In  the  slang  of  the  professional,  a  watch  is  denom 
inated  a  ''super  "—a  chain  is  a  <(  slang" — and  the 
men  who  twist  the  rings  or  steal  the  watches  are 
called  "super  twisters." 

I  will  now  refer  to  the  operations  of  the  pick 
pockets  who  operate  upon  ladies — who,  as  I  have  be 
fore  stated,  are  called  "  Moll-buzzers." 

As  a  rule  the  men  who  steal  the  pocket-books  and 
purses  of  ladies,  wear  a  sack-coat.  In  winter  they 
operate  through  their  overcoat  pockets  and  in  sum 
mer  through  the  pockets  of  an  ordinary  sack-coat. 
In  order  to  understand  thoroughly  what  is  meant 
by  operating  through  the  pockets,  a  few  words  of 
explanation  are  necessary.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  lining  in  the  coat  of  a  pick-pocket  is  never 
sewed  fast  to  the  cloth  at  the  bottom,  underneath  the 
pocket,  this  is  always  left  open.  The  thief  then  rips 
open  one  side  of  the  pocket  at  the  top,  and  this  en- 


THE    PICKPOCKET.  51 

ables  him  to  thrust  his  hand  right  through,  between 
the  pocket  and  the  cloth,  to  the  bottom  of  the  coat 
and  out  beneath.  In  the  pocket  proper  he  always 
carries  a  handkerchief,  which  is  often  of  great  ser 
vice  to  him. 

Thus  much  by  way  of  preliminary,  we  will  detail 
the  further  progress  of  the  operation.  The  scene  is 
•an  ordinary  street  car,  and  the  seats  are  all  occupied. 
The  thief  enters  and  at  once  takes  up  his  position 
immediately  in  front  of  a  lady,  with  one  hand  he 
grasps  the  strap  hanging  from  the  roof,  and  the  other 
hand  is  seemingly  thrust  into  his  coat-pocket.  I  say 
seemingly,  for  really  the  hand  of  the  thief  is  thrust 
through  his  coat,  the  end  of  which  is  resting  carelessly 
on  the  pocket  of  the  lady.  With  the  hand  which  is 
pushed  through  his  coat,  the  thief  quietly  pulls  up  the 
edge  of  theoverskirt  worn  by  the  lady,  little  by  little, 
so  that  he  can  reach  the  pocket.  Having  reached  the 
pocket,  the  next  move  is  to  try  the  "  reefing"  process 
already  mentioned,  and  then  catching  hold  of  the 
pocket-book,  he  draws  it  up  into  his  own  pocket  and 
then  steps  away.  Should  the  lady,  by  any  chance, 
feel  the  motion  of  the  man's  fingers  about  her  person, 
the  thief  quickly  draws  his  hand  up  out  of  his  pocket, 
and  taking  out  his  pocket-handkerchief,  wipes  his  face 
with  that  very  necessary  article,  in  the  most  natural 
manner  possible.  This  action,  seemingly  so  matter- 


52  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

of-fact  and  easy,  at  once  satisfies  the  lady  that  she 
must  have  been  mistaken,  and  that  the  man  before 
her  could  not  have  been  attempting  to  pick  her  pocket, 
while  he  had  his  hand  in  his  own. 

This  kind  of  work  is  also  done  on  the  platforms 
of  the  cars,  while  the  lady  is  entering  or  leaving  the 
car,  only  in  such  cases  the  "tool"  has  a  "stall,"  who 
manages  to  place  himself  in  the  way  of  the  lady,  so- 
as  to  keep  her  in  proper  position  for  the  minute  that 
is  required  to  effect  the  robbery. 

Sometimes  the  thief  will  seat  himself  beside  the 
lady  in  the  cars,  and  then  he  places  his  left  side  to 
ward  her.  Taking  out  a  newspaper,  he  will  pretend 
to  read,  but  he  is  merely  spreading  it  upon  his  lap  to 
cover  the  hand  that  is  performing  the  work  of  dex 
terous  theft. 

A  large  number  of  ladies,  having  heard  of  these 
pickpockets,  have  become  so  suspicious  that  the  mo 
ment  a  person,  who  has  been  sitting  beside  them, 
gets  up  to  leave  the  car,  they  will  at  once  feel  on  the 
outside  of  their  dresses  to  discover  if  their  pocket- 
books  are  safe.  Thieves  who  are  expert,  know  this 
full  well,  and  so  proficient  have  they  become,  that 
with  two  fingers  they  can  open  the  pocket-book  while 
it  is  safely  within  the  pocket,  and  with  the  first  finger 
bent  like  a  hook,  will  clean  out  the  contents,  and 
leave  the  pocket-book  apparently  undisturbed  ;  this 


THE    PICKPOCKET  53 

operation  is  called  "  weeding  a  leather,"  and  the  dex 
terity  and  ease  with  which  it  is  done,  is  simply  aston 
ishing. 

Notwithstanding  many  statements  to  the  con 
trary,  an  expert  thief  will  rarely  cut  a  dress  or  coat 
in  order  to  obtain  the  money  of  his  victim;  this  is 
not  considered  professional,  and  is  universally  con 
demned. 

Many  ladies  carry  their  money  in  hand-bags  and 
cabbes,  which  are  now  so  fashionable,  and  this  fact 
affords  rare  opportunities  to  the  observant  and  saga 
cious  thief.  In  order  to  be  successful  in  this,  they 
simply  resort  to  the  old  method  of  covering  the  bag, 
so  that  it  can  be  opened,  the  pocket-book  taken  out, 
and  the  bag  reclosed. 

This  style  of  robbery  occurs  every  day,  and  the 
favorite  position  for  this  work  is  in  front  of  the  large 
show  windows  of  prominent  dry  goods  firms,  where 
the  ladies  congregate  to  study  what  is  new,  and  to 
admire  the  beautiful  and  tempting  displays. 

Of  the  female  pickpockets,  they  are  generally  of 
English  nationality,  with  a  slight  sprinkling  of  Irish 
and  American,  but  for  the  most  part  they  are  of  the 
vulgar  and  abandoned  class.  They  usually  operate 
from  under  their  shawl  or  cloak,  and  frequently  with 
one  of  these  garments  thrown  over  their  arm.  They 
confine  their  operations  principally  to  ladies,  and 


54  THE    PICKPOCKET. 

work  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  men.  They  are  gen 
erally  exceedingly  clever  manipulators,  and,  of  course, 
have  much  better  opportunities  to  ply  their  trade 
among  their  own  sex,  than  men  could  possibly  have. 

The  handkerchief  thief,  or  "  wipe  lifter,"  is  the 
lowest  grade  of  pocket  picking — and  is  practiced  only 
by  boys  or  young  beginners.  It  is  generally  the  first 
step  taken  toward  the  attainment  of  dexterity  and 
experience  ;  and  is  the  beginning  of  a  career  which 
inevitably  leads  to  a  prison. 

I  have  thus  attempted  to  give  a  general  idea  of 
the  operations  of  the  professional  pickpocket,  though 
I  am  aware  that  there  are  numerous  other  devices 
practiced,  a  description  of  which  would  only  tire  the 
reader.  The  modus  operandi  of  the  expert  thief  have 
only  been  given, and  after  the  revelations  here  made, 
the  public  may  take  warning,  and  by  being  constantly 
on  their  guard  will  insure  themselves  from  ever  be 
coming  the  victims  of  the  army  of  light-fingered 
gentry  which  infest  every  city  of  the  civilized  globe. 


STORE  ROBBERS. 

A  House  to  let. — Store-rooms  for  Plunder. — Making  their  Keys. — 
Packing  the  Goods. — Removal  by  Express  Wagon. —  Through 
the  Skylight. — Selling  by  Sample. —  The  Jewelry  Store. —  The 
"  Note  Racket." — Guarding  the  Keys. 

THE  men  who  rob  stores,  either  by  day  or  night, 
do  not  belong  to  any  distinct  class  of  crim 
inals.  Store-robbing  may  be  resorted  to  by  any  man 
or  body  of  men,  whose  experience  in  other  criminal 
undertakings  has  given  them  that  courage,  foresight, 
and  knowledge  essential  for  such  undertakings. 
None  the  less,  however,  their  work  must  be  per 
formed  as  carefully  and  systematically  as  any  other, 
in  order  to  procure  success  and  profitable  remunera 
tion. 

The  risks  to  be  assumed,  and  the  dangers  to  be 
overcome  are  also  much  greater  than  in  any  other 
branches  of  criminal  practice.  The  stores  that  are 
usually  considered  as  worth  the  effort  of  entering  are 
generally  located  upon  the  principal  business  streets 

55 


56  STORE    ROBBERS. 

of  the  city,  whose  avenues  are  brilliantly  lighted  and 
patrolled  by  policemen  whose  presence  is  considered 
a  synonym  for  safety. 

A  thorough  knowledge  of  the  approaches  to  the 
building,  a  careful  watch  upon  all  persons  connected 
with  the  store,  and  a  strict  espionage  upon  the  move 
ments  of  the  patrolmen,  are  the  first  requisites  for 
successful  work,  and  even  when  these  have  been  put 
into  operation,  the  main  features  of  the  robbery  have 
not  been  attempted,  and  success  is  far  from  being  as 
sured. 

Let  me  give  some  practical  hints  of  the  move 
ments  of  these  thieves,  a  study  of  which  on  the  part 
of  our  merchants  and  business  men,  may  save  them 
from  serious  and  irreparable  losses  in  the  future.  In 
my  opinion,  safety  can  be  as  successfully  conserved 
by  laying  bare  the  movements  and  modes  of  operation 
of  the  thief,  as  by  tracing  him  to  his  hiding  place  and 
securing  his  imprisonment  after  his  offenses  have 
been  committed.  Acting  upon  this  opinion,  I  will 
describe  the  modus  operandi  of  the  store  robbers,  as 
far  as  they  have  become  known  to  me,  in  the  hope 
that  these  relations  may  be  of  service  to  those  who 
are  generally  made  their  victims. 

This  class  of  robbers,  if  they  thoroughly  under 
stand  their  business,  always  work  in  gangs  of  two, 
three,  or  four  in  number,  in  order  that  their  opera- 


STORE    ROBBERS.  57 

tions  may  be  quickly  conducted,  and  that  the  move 
ments  of  the  police  may  be  carefully  watched  while 
they  are  at  work.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  upon 
locating  in  a  large  town  or  city,  is  to  select  the  place 
upon  which  they  design  to  work.  Every  care  and 
precaution  is  taken  in  this  particular,  and  when  they 
finally  decide  upon  a  store  to  be  robbed,  they  are 
fully  posted  with  regard  to  everything  that  pertains 
to  the  business  and  personal  habits  of  all  connected 
with  the  establishment. 

Their  next  move  is  to  discover  a  house  to  let,  and 
they  prefer  to  secure  one  as  close  to  the  scene  of 
their  contemplated  operations  as  possible.  The  most 
polite  and  suave  of  their  number  is  usually  selected 
as  the  spokesman  and  negotiator,  who  introduces  him 
self  to  the  owner  of  the  premises  as  a  stranger  from  a 
distance,  who  designs  locating  in  the  city,  and  intends 
to  send  for  his  wife  and  children  when  he  has  secured 
a  home  for  their  habitation.  His  story  is  straightfor 
ward  and  plausible ;  his  appearance  inspires  confi 
dence,  and  paying  a  month's  rent  in  advance,  he 
receives  the  key  of  the  house,  with  the  view  of  pre 
paring  it  for  the  reception  of  his  family.  At  the  ex 
piration  of  a  few  days,  this  man  again  calls  upon  the 
landlord,  and  showing  him  a  telegram  which  may  be 
either  genuine  or  bogus,  purporting  to  have  been  sent 
by  the  wife  of  the  burglar,  and  which  contains  the  in- 

3* 


58  STORE    ROBBERS. 

telligence  that  she  cannot  come  at  present,  owing  to 
the  serious  illness  of  some  of  the  children,  which  pre 
vents  their  being  moved  at  this  time.  This  is  done 
to  allay  any  suspicions  which  the  landlord  might  en 
tertain  should  the  house  remain  empty  without 
explanation.  The  burglar  then  informs  the  landlord 
that  he  will  keep  the  house  for  the  month  for  which 
he  has  paid  his  rent,  hoping  by  that  time  that  his  wife 
will  be  able  to  come,  as  agreed  upon. 

This  explanation  satisfies  the  landlord,  who  will 
not  trouble  himself  further  about  his  tenant.  By  this 
means  the  thieves  have  secured  a  safe  store-room  for 
a  month's  plunder,  and  the  main  part  of  the  prelimi 
nary  work  is  then  considered  accomplished. 

Not  more  than  one  place  is  entered  under  any 
circumstances  during  a  single  night,  and  this  rule  is 
adhered  to  strenuously,  however  great  may  be  the 
temptation. 

Having  located  their  object  of  attack,  and  being 
fully  posted  with  regard  to  the  means  of  reaching 
that  object,  no  time  is  lost  in  getting  to  work.  All 
robbers  of  this  class  prefer  to  effect  an  entrance  from 
the  rear,  as  it  is  considered  far  more  safe  than  the 
front.  A  brace  and  bit  and  a  couple  of  ordinary  jim 
mies  are  all  the  tools  needed  for  this  purpose,  and  a 
door  or  window  is  speedily  opened,  and  the  passage 
into  the  store  effected. 


STORE    ROBBERS.  59 

Failing  to  find  a  rear  entrance,  however,  the 
thieves  do  not  hesitate  to  enter  by  the  front,  although 
the  danger  and  difficulty  of  such  a  proceeding  is  con 
siderably  increased.  In  the  first  place  they  attempt 
to  fit  a  key  to  the  front  door  from  their  own  stock  in 
trade,  or  the  use  of  a  skeleton.  Should  this  prove  a 
failure,  they  bend  their  efforts  toward  obtaining  an 
impression  from  the  genuine  key  in  use  by  the  owners 
of  the  premises.  At  first  thought  this  would  seem  an 
exceedingly  difficult  operation  ;  but  the  thieves  rarely 
experience  any  trouble  in  effecting  this  object.  They 
usually  watch  for  the  opening  of  the  store  in  the 
morning,  and  as  soon  as  the  clerk  enters  the  store 
two  of  the  thieves  follow  him  in.  One  of  them  states 
that  he  is  in  a  great  hurry  to  get  some  small  article 
which  is  kept  in  the  stock,  and  the  clerk,  to  be  accom 
modating,  lays  his  keys  down  on  the  counter  or  desk, 
and  proceeds  to  wait  upon  his  customer.  If  they  are 
laid  upon  the  counter,  the  confederate  obtains  an  im 
pression  of  them  in  a  moment,  with  the  lump  of  wax 
which  he  carries  in  his  pocket,  handy  for  the  purpose, 
and  the  question  is  settled  at  once.  Sometimes,  how 
ever,  the  clerk  places  his  keys  upon  the  desk  in  the 
office,  and  to  get  at  them  there,  is  not  so  easy  a  matter. 
The  thief  is  prepared  with  an  expedient,  however, 
and  the  confederate  politely  asks  permission  to  ad 
dress  a  few  letters,  which  he  is  anxious  to  mail  as  soon 


60  STORE    ROBBERS. 

as  possible.  This  innocent  request  is  usually  granted 
readily,  and  with  his  impression  wax  all  ready,  he  ac 
complishes  the  work  almost  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye.  The  next  move  is  to  procure  a  blank  key  at  a 
hardware  store,  and  form  the  impression  obtained  ;  a 
perfect  fac  simile  is  made  in  a  few  hours.  Having 
overcome  this  obstacle  to  their  admittance,  the  thieves 
are  now  ready  for  work. 

In  effecting  their  entrance  and  removing  their 
plunder  from  the  store,  the  thieves  are  guided  en 
tirely  by  circumstances.  Sometimes  they  commence 
early  in  the  evening,  sometimes  at  midnight,  and  at 
others  it  frequently  occurs  that  they  do  not  remove 
anything  until  the  break  of  day, 

If  they  are  compelled  to  work  the  store  from  the 
front,  thieves  are  exceedingly  cautious  in  their  every 
action.  Awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity,  when  the 
coast  is  clear,  two  of  the  gang  will  quickly  and  noise 
lessly  enter,  and  at  once  lock  the  door  upon  the  in 
side.  Selecting  their  plunder  from  the  most  valuable 
stock  in  the  store,  they  pack  the  goods  carefully  for 
removal,  and  then  await  developments  from  the  out 
side.  When  they  are  ready  to  come  out,  they  gener 
ally  put  a  small  piece  of  white  paper  under  the  front 
door,  so  as  to  inform  the  "  crow  " — as  the  outside 
watcher  is  called — that  they  have  finished  their  work 
and  are  anxious  to  leave.  This  "  crow  "  is  constant- 


STORE    ROBBERS.  61 

ly  on  the  alert,  and  never  approaches  the  door  until 
he  has  located  the  policeman  or  watchman.  If  there 
is  no  danger  of  the  speedy  return  of  the  patrolman 
the  signal  is  given,  the  door  is  opened,  and  they  pre 
pare  to  remove  their  plunder. 

If  the  goods  can  be  taken  away  early  in  the  even 
ing,  or  at  daylight  in  the  morning,  one  of  the  gang 
engages  an  express-wagon,  which,  by  paying  a  good 
price,  he  secures  the  privilege  of  driving  himself.  If, 
however,  the  goods  cannot  be  taken  until  near  mid 
night,  a  public  hack  is  necessary  for  the  purpose. 
One  of  the  thieves  "  fixes  "  the  driver  and  takes  his 
place  upon  the  box,  and  is  thus  prepared  to  act  for 
the  best  interests  of  his  "  pals."  As  soon  as  the  streets 
are  deserted,  the  "crow"  gives  the  signal,  the  hack  is 
driven  up  to  the  front  of  the  store,  the  goods  are 
brought  out  and  deposited  therein,  and  in  a  twinkling 
they  are  all  driving  away  from  the  spot.  Very  fre 
quently,  however,  two  or  more  loads  of  goods  are 
taken  away  in  a  single  night  from  the  same  store,  and 
the  hack  returns  with  as  much  safety,  as  though  the 
errand  of  its  occupants  was  a  perfectly  safe  and  legiti 
mate  one. 

Where  the  entrance  is  obtained  from  the  rear,  the 
thieves  feel  more  safe,  and  although  they  may  have 
longer  work,  they  infinitely  prefer  that  method  of 
operation.  Their  point  of  attack  is  the  back  door, 


62  STORE    ROBBERS. 

and  they  generally  succeed  without  much  difficulty  in 
turning  the  lock,  either  with  a  skeleton-key,  or  with 
the  nippers  if  the  key  has  been  left  in  the  lock,  which 
is  usually  the  case.  On  most  rear  doors,  however, 
they  find  that  a  bar  has  been  placed  across  the  open 
ing,  which  holds  the  two  doors  tightly  in  position, 
This  obstacle  is  easily  overcome,  and  with  their  brace 
and  bit  they  set  to  work.  Some  burglars  use  what  is 
called  the  "  extension  bit, "which  is  capable  of  boring 
a  hole  of  from  three  to  seven  inches,  and  with  this 
instrument  a  hole  is  bored  through  the  door,  large 
enough  to  admit  the  arm  of  a  man.  The  burglar  then 
thrusts  his  arm  through  the  hole  thus  made,  and  the 
bar  is  lifted  and  removed  without  the  least  difficulty 
or  delay.  In  case,  however,  that  they  have  the 
ordinary  tools,  they  use  a  one-inch  bit,  and  bore  a  suc 
cession  of  holes  close  together,  in  this  wise. 


o 

o     o 

o         o 

o  o 

o  o 

o  o 

o  o 

o  o 

o  o 

o  o 

o  o 

o         o 


STORE    ROBBERS.  63 

And  thus,  though  somewhat  longer  in  its  opera 
tion,  the  same  result  is  achieved. 

There  are  other  modes  of  entry  into  stores  where 
it  is  found  that  there  is  a  vacant  story  above,  or  chan 
ces  for  entrance  through  skylights — all  of  which  are 
carefully  noted  by  the  party  who  makes  the  prelimi 
nary  survey  of  the  premises,  and  the  burglars  come 
prepared  for  such  emergencies  as  they  reasonably 
expect  from  his  reports.  With  a  vacant  second  or 
third  story,  an  entrance  may  be  effected  by  one  of 
the  thieves  secreting  himself  during  the  day,  or  enter 
ing  by  means  of  the  elevators  and  trap-doors — and 
these  are  by  no  means  unusual  occurrences. 

The  stores  usually  selected  by  these  robbers  are 
those  which  contain  articles  of  value.  Silks  and  laces 
arc  always  eagerly  sought  for,  and  a  first-class  hard 
ware  store  is  no  mean  prey.  The  finer  grades  of 
cutlery  and  razors  are  articles  that  always  bring  good 
prices.  A  good  hardware  store  is  almost  as  good  as  a 
jewelry  store,  and  the  risk  from  detection  and  inside 
watchmen  not  half  so  great,  while  the  goods  can  be 
readily  and  safely  disposed  of. 

The  goods  obtained  by  these  robberies  are  at  once 
removed  to  the  rented  house  of  the  burglars,  and  no 
attempt  is  made  to  dispose  of  them  for  several  days. 
When  the  first  alarm  however  has  subsided,  one 
member  of  the  gang  takes  a  sample  of  each  article 


64  STORE    ROBBERS. 

and  seeking  out  the  receiver,  or  dealer  in  stolen 
goods,  displays  them,  and  inquires  how  much  he  will 
pay  for  the  quantity  they  have  on  hand.  By  these 
means  they  invariably  realize  much  better  prices  for 
their  plunder  than  they  would  by  bringing  the  goods 
in  bulk,  for  they  are  thus  enabled  to  bring  the 
"fence"  to  terms,  without  affording  him  the  oppor 
tunity  of  giving  them  away,  and  securing  the  goods 
for  himself. 

As  the  thief  has  taken  the  precaution  to  carry 
only  samples  of  his  wares,  he  is  enabled  to  go  from 
one  receiver  to  another — and  in  a  large  city,  there  are 
a  number  of  men,  and  women  too,  who  deal  exclu 
sively  and  extensively  in  stolen  goods — until  he  has 
received  an  offer  that  is  satisfactory.  Failing  to  do 
this  in  a  day  or  two,  the  goods  are  then  shipped  to  a 
distant  city,  where  they  can  readily  be  sold  for  much 
better  prices,  as  the  danger  of  identification  and 
recovery  is  far  less. 

The  store  robbers  frequently  practice  a  little 
sneak  thieving  on  their  journeys  of  preliminary 
examination,  and  jewelry  stores  are  usually  selected 
for  their  purpose,  particularly  if  they  discover  that 
the  nightly  precautions  are  too  great  to  permit  of 
their  being  safely  robbed  after  they  have  been  closed 
for  the  day.  Their  manner  of  working  in  this  con 
nection  is  as  follows  : — All  jewelry  stores,  as  a  rule, 


STORE    ROBBERS.  65 

are  fitted  up  with  tall  show-cases,  which  are  arranged 
against  the  wall,  behind  the  cases  on  the  counters. 
In  these  cases  the  silver-ware  and  larger  articles  are 
kept  for  display.  The  counters  are  generally  short, 
arranged  in  rows  with  passage  ways  between  them, 
and  on  these  the  cases  containing  watches  and  the 
smaller  articles  of  jewelry  are  tastefully  exhibited  on 
small  trays.  The  thieves  enter  the  store  and  one  of 
them,  securing  the  attention  of  a  clerk,  walks  deliber 
ately  behind  the  counter,  and  pointing  to  some  article 
of  silver-ware  in  the  case  against  the  wall,  engages  the 
clerk  in  bargaining  for  its  sale ;  while  thus  engaged 
he  stands  between  the  counter  and  the  clerk,  who  is 
obliged  to  turn  his  back  to  the  counters  in  order  to 
face  his  supposed  customer.  While  this  is  going  on 
his  attention  is  entirely  diverted  from  the  other  thief, 
who  seizes  the  first  favorable  opportunity  to  transfer 
some  of  the  most  valuable  articles  in  the  counter 
cases  to  his  own  pockets  and  to  pass  quietly  out  of 
the  store  unsuspected.  In  some  cases,  however,  there 
are  two  lines  of  counters  and  cases  on  opposite  sides 
of  the  store,  and  under  such  circumstances  the  clerk 
must  be  taken  to  a  place  at  the  upright  cases  directly 
opposite  to  the  articles  that  are  intended  to  be  stolen. 
For  this  operation  two  men  are  required  to  work 
upon  the  clerk,  while  the  third  man  does  the  stealing. 
One  of  the  thieves  does  the  talking  with  the  unsus- 


66  STORE    ROBBERS. 

picious  clerk,  while  the  second  one,  ostensibly  reading 
a  newspaper,  completely  conceals  the  actions  of  the 
third  confederate  while  he  is  robbing  the  cases  upon 
the  counter. 

There  is  another  system  of  robbing  wholesale 
houses,  which  in  many  instances  has  been  remarkably 
successful.  This  is  called  the  "  note-racket,"  and  is 
exceedingly  simple.  The  thieves  wait  upon  the  out 
side  until  they  learn  that  a  certain  member  of  the 
firm  has  gone  out  to  lunch,  or  upon  some  business  er 
rand — which  is  easily  ascertained  by  watching  the 
premises — and  then  one  of  the  thieves  will  enter  the 
store  and  ask  for  the  absent  merchant.  Of  course  he 
is  answered  that  the  gentleman  inquired  for  is  not  in  ; 
whereupon  the  thief  will  express  his  deep  regret  and, 
as  he  has  important  business  elsewhere,  it  is  impos 
sible  for  him  to  wait,  but  if  he  can  procure  a  sheet  of 
paper  and  an  envelope,  he  will  write  a  note  and  leave 
it.  The  desired  articles  are  furnished  him,  and  deliber 
ately  walking  up  to  a  desk,  which  he  believes  con 
tains  the  money  for  daily  use,  he  commences  to  write. 
His  confederate  now  enters,  and  beckoning  to  the 
man  nearest  to  the  desk,  engages  him  in  conversation 
upon  some  matter  pertaining  to  their  business.  The 
thief  at  the  desk  then  quickly  draws  his  skeleton  keys 
from  his  pocket,  unlocks  the  drawer,  and  with  one 
deft  motion  cleans  it  out,  then  relocking  the  drawer, 


STORE    ROBBERS.  67 

he  comes  toward  the  clerk,  tearing  up  his  note  as  he 
does  so,  and  saying  that  he  has  reconsidered  the 
matter  and  will  call  again  in  an  hour  or  two.  He 
then  quietly  walks  out  of  the  store  and  disappears, 
and  his  companion  follows  him  as  speedily  as  he  can, 
without  exciting  suspicion.  The  dismay  of  the  clerk 
when  he  finds  that  the  gentlemanly  inquirer  has  robbed 
his  desk  under  his  very  nose,  can  be  better  imagined 
than  described. 

The  operations  which  I  have  here  detailed,  have 
occurred  quite  frequently  and  in  many  cases  the  losers 
have  been  utterly  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  mysteri 
ous  disappearance  of  their  cash. 

In  the  latter  case  it  will  be  seen  that  the  utmost 
carefulness  is  necessary  in  dealing  with  all  visitors 
who  invade  the  office  of  a  store,  and  that  in  no  case 
should  a  stranger  be  allowed  to  come  in  close  prox 
imity  with  the  desks  where  money  or  any  valuables 
are  kept.  It  is  impossible  to  discriminate  against  vis 
itors,  for  the  most  innocent  appearing  man  is  gener 
ally  apt  to  be  the  thief,  and  hence  a  general  rule  of 
exclusion  should  be  enforced. 

In  order  to  guard  against  the  former  class,  those 
who  come  in  the  silence  and  darkness  of  midnight, 
many  precautions  are  necessary  and  constant  vigilance 
is  required.  It  is  essentially  important  that  especial 
notice  should  be  taken  of  any  stranger  who  may  call, 


68  STORE    ROBBERS. 

no  matter  under  what  pretext  the  call  is  made,  at  the 
time  the  stores  or  the  safes  are  being  opened  or  closed. 
If  the  person  who  has  the  keyes  in  his  possession  is 
addressed,  and  his  attention  requested,  let  him  at 
once  slip  the  keys  into  his  pocket,  instead  of  laying 
them  down  upon  a  counter  or  desk.  Care  must  be 
taken  that  the  thieves  do  not  get  even  a  good  look  at 
these  keys,  as  a  good  look  to  some  robbers  is  as  ser 
viceable  as  a  wax  impression. 

Whoever  is  entrusted  with  the  keys  to  the  store 
or  safe  at  night,  should  so  guard  them  that  they  can 
not  be  found  while  he  is  asleep — for  in  many  instances 
the  thieves  have  effected  an  entrance  into  the  sleep 
ing-rooms  of  trusted  employees,  and  have  either  stolen 
the  keys,  or  have  taken  wax  impressions  of  them  for 
future  use,  while  their  custodian  was  slumbering  un 
consciously  upon  his  couch. 

One  of  the  best  preventives  against  store  robberies 
is  to  have  a  good  light  burning  in  the  store  all  the 
evening,  and  the  windows  unobscured,  so  that  all 
passers-by  may  have  a  full  view  of  the  entire  interior; 
and  in  case  employees  sleep  in  the  store,  have  the 
doors  bolted  at  a  point  more  than  one  foot  above  or 
below  the  lock. 

As  danger  is  always  to  be  apprehended  from  the 
surroundings,  the  cellar  or  the  floor  above  the  store 
should  never  be  rented  to  strangers  of  whose  respect- 


STORE    ROBBERS.  69 

ability  you  are  not  fully  advised,  and  a  constant  watch 
fulness  should  be  maintained  for  suspicious  occupants 
of  the  buildings  upon  either  side.  Increased  care  is 
necessary  whenever  any  of  the  adjoining  buildings  are 
unoccupied. 

By  a  careful  observance  of  these  precautionary 
directions  the  dangers  from  robbery  are  materially 
lessened,  and  perfect  immunity  may  thus  be  secured. 


THE     "BOODLE"     GAME. 

Cupidity  greater  than  Judgment. —  The  Sawdust  Swindler. — 
"  A  Boss  Racket^ — Preparing  a  Circular. —  Verdant  Green. 
— "Kin  yer  tell  me  whar  I  can  find  Mr.  Sharp'?' — A 
Dramatic  Agency. —  The  "  Crooked  Stuff."' — Five  Dollars' 
Worth  of  Jewelry. — Good  Money  for  Bad. — Sawdust, 
C.  O.  D. 

THIS  is  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  many 
schemes  resorted  to  by  confidence  men  to 
fleece  their  unwary  but  equally  unscrupulous  victims. 
It  is  safer  than  almost  any  other  system  of  swindling, 
because  it  is  practiced  upon  men,  whose  cupidity  over 
comes  their  judgment,  and  who  in  their  desire  to 
swindle  others,  become  the  dupes  themselves.  For 
this  reason  the  "sawdust  swindler"  invariably  escapes 
punishment,  as  in  order  to  arrest  these  men  the  vic 
tims  are  compelled  to  acknowledge  their  own  dishon 
esty.  As  a  natural  consequence  the  swindled  cus 
tomers  of  these  sharpers  prefer  to  quietly  submit  to 
their  losses  rather  than  to  advertise  themselves  in  the 
doubtful  light  which  would  follow  any  attempt  to 
punish  the  offenders. 


THE    "BOODLE"     GAME.  71 

To  use  the  language  of  one  of  the  most  success 
ful  operators  at  this  game,  it  is  "  the  boss  racket  of 
the  whole  confidence  business."  It  is,  in  fact,  the 
best,  the  cleverest  and  the  most  remunerative  of  all 
the  swindles  in  the  profession,  and  a  short  descrip 
tion  of  the  manner  in  which  it  is  operated,  will  not  be 
out  of  place  in  a  volume  of  this  character.  ' 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  necessary  to  prepare  a  cir 
cular,  or  an  address,  which  will  catch  the  eye  and  ex 
cite  the  greed  of  the  victims,  and  for  this  purpose, 
the  following  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  first  epistolary 
attack : 

NEW  YORK,  18 

Dear  Sir  : 

No  doubt  you  will  think  it  strange  how  I  obtained 
your  name  and  address.  It  was  as  follows :  My 
confidential  agent  who  passed  through  your  town  not 
long  since,  gave  it  to  me.  He  said  he  thought  you 
were  a  man  who  was  in  a  position  to  handle  my 
goods  in  safety,  and  I  concluded  to  write  to  you  ;  if 
I  have  made  a  mistake,  do  me  no  harm  and  let  mat 
ters  drop.  My  motto  is,  never  harm  a  man  who  is 
willing  to  prove  himself  your  friend.  My  business  is 
not  exactly  legitimate,  but  the  green  articles  I  deal 
in  are  safe  and  profitable  to  handle.  The  sizes  are 
ones,  twos,  fives,  and  tens.  Do  you  understand  ?  I 
cannot  be  plainer  until  I  know  you  mean  business, 
and  if  you  conclude  to  answer  this  letter,  I  will  send 
you  full  particulars  and  terms,  and  will  endeavor  to 


72  THE    "BOODLE"     GAME. 

satisfy  you  on  every  point,  so  that  if  you  are  my 
friend,  I  will  prove  a  true  and  lasting  one  to  you,  be 
the  trade  for  $i  or  $1,000.  Remember,  I  do  not 
want  money  in  advance,  as  I  do  not  transact  business 
in  that  way.  I  want  simply  to  convince  you  that  I 
am  just  as  I  tell  you,  a  friend  to  a  friend. 
Yours  in  confidence, 


This  circular  is  neatly  printed  on  good  paper  and 
may  be  dated  from  any  city  in  which  the  swindlers 
are  temporarily  located.  By  traveling  through  the 
country  and  making  minute  inquiries  about  the  inhab 
itants,  they  are  enabled  to  discover  the  men  to  whom 
a  circular  of  this  kind  would  prove  an  attractive  bait. 
It  is  not  often  that  they  make  a  mistake,  and  hence 
their  business  is  very  profitable  ;  and  as  I  have  said, 
comparatively  safe.  The  name  signed  at  the  bottom 
of  the  circular  is  a  fictitious  one,  and  the  address 
given  is  that  of  a  saloon  whose  reputation  is  some 
what  questionable.  We  will  describe  the  operation 
of  these  men  in  narrative  form,  in  order  to  more 
fully  show  the  manner  of  its  working. 

Mr.  Verdant  Green,  who  is  pretty  smart  at  a 
horse  trade,  and  is  generally  ready  to  dicker  with 
anybody  and  for  anything,  receives  one  of  these  cir 
culars,  and  the  latent  spark  of  dishonesty  lurking 
within  him,  is  fired  in  an  instant.  He  realizes  the 


THE    "BOODLE"     GAME.  73 

necessity  of  caution,  however,  and  he  addresses  the 
parties  who  have  written  to  him,  a  cautious  letter  of 
inquiry.  ''What  are  the  green  articles  which  they 
mention  ?"  "  What  uses  are  they  intended  for,  and 
how  does  the  opportunity  present  itself  for  making  any 
money  ?"  The  reply  to  this  is  a  direct  invitation  for 
Mr.  Green  to  come  on  in  person,  and  to  see  for  him 
self  what  the  possibilities  for  making  a  fortune  are. 

The  result  is  that  Mr.  Verdant  Green,  attired  in 
his  best  clothes,  soon  after  makes  his  appearance  in 
the  city,  and  seeks  out  the  particular  saloon  to  which 
he  has  been  directed. 

He  notices  that  the  name  over  the  doorway  is 
not  the  same  to  which  he  was  directed,  and  he  looks 
again  at  the  address  and  finds  that  he  is  to  direct 
"in  the  care  of  Mr.  Sharp."  This  reassures  him 
and  entering  the  saloon  he  approaches  the  spruce 
looking  bar-tender. 

"Kin  yer  tell  me  whar  I  kin  find  Mr.  Sharp?" 

The  actions  of  the  bar-tender  upon  this  inquiry 
being  made,  are  an  amusing  study.  He  scratches  his 
head,  looks  puzzled,  and  mutters,  apparently  to  him 
self : 

"  Sharp  !— Sharp— Mr.  Sharp— No— er,  I  don't 
know  any  Sharp." 

Then  he  calls  out  to  some  men  who  are  playing 
cards  in  the  back  room  : 

4 


74  THE     "BOODLE"     GAME. 

"  Heigh  Jack  !  Did  you  happen  fur  to  know  any 
party  named  Sharp  around  yer  ?" 

A  grand  chorus  of  "  Nos,"  from  the  back  room  is 
the  response,  and  Jack,  who  is  one  of  the  confederates, 
makes  his  appearance  in  the  doorway,  and  critically 
examines  the  rural  visitor.  The  examination  being 
apparently  satisfactory,  Jack  approaches  the  stranger, 
and  in  an  oily  tone,  addresses  him. 

"  Did  you  want  to  see  Mr.  Sharp  ?  Well,  he  used 
to  hang  around  here,  but  he's  moved  away — moved 
away — let  me  see — more'n  two  months  ago,  I  reckon. 
B'lieve  he's  gone  out  o'  town  somewhere." 

Mr.  Verdant  Green's  face  lengthens  considerably 
at  this  announcement,  and  he  sadly  takes  his  depart 
ure,  in  a  confused  state  of  mind.  He  wonders  where 
Mr.  Sharp  could  have  gone,  and  cannot  understand 
how  the  letter  he  received  only  three  days  ago,  could 
possibly  direct  him  to  a  location  from  which  the 
writer  had  moved  away  two  months  before. 

While  he  is  thus  abstractedly  reasoning  out  this 
strange  complication,  somebody  comes  softly  up  be 
hind  him  and  slaps  him  heartily  on  the  back  Turn 
ing  hastily  around  Mr.  Green  sees  the  glib-tongued, 
suave-mannered  "steerer"  who  seizes  him  by  the 
hand  and  says  : 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,  but — er — ain't  you  the  gentle 
man  as  was  lookin'  fur  Mr.  Sharp  ?" 


THE    "BOODLE"     GAME.  75 

"Jes  so,  I  am,"  replies  Mr.  Verdant  Green,  while 
his  face  brightens  up  perceptibly,  "mebbe  yer  kin 
tell  me  whar  ter  find  him  ?" 

"  Right  you  are  !"  exclaims  the  steerer.  "  If  you 
want  ter  do  business  on  the  dead  square,  and  no 
funny  work,  do  you  mind  !  I'm  the  one  as  can  take 
you  to  Mr.  Sharp.  In  fact  Mr.  Green,  that's  your 
name,  I  see,  takin'  the  liberty  to  look  over  your 
shoulder  at  that  ere  letter — in  fact,  Mr.  Green,  old 
boy,  I'm  goin'  right  there  now.  Come  alongand  let's 
take  a  drink." 

Nothing  loth,  Mr.  Green  accompanies  his  new 
companion  back  to  the  saloon  they  had  just  left,  and 
after  draining  their  glasses,  they  start  for  the  location 
of  Mr.  Sharp. 

The  quarters  of  Mr.  Sharp  are  a  small  office  with 
the  blinds  drawn  down  over  the  glass  panes  in  the 
door,  and  a  lot  of  fancy  lithographs  stuck  up  in  the 
window.  Over  the  door  there  is  a  small  tin  sign, 
with  the  very  deceptive  legend  "  Dramatic  Agency," 
printed  on  it  in  white  paint. 

The  steerer  gives  a  peculiar  knock  at  the  door, 
which  is  opened  cautiously  a  few  inches,  and  an  eye 
appears  in  the  aperture.  A  voice  calls  out, 

"  All  right !" 

And  then  the  door  is  opened  and  Mr.  Green  finds 


76  THE    "BOODLE"     GAME. 

himself  within  the  sanctuary  of  the  saw-dust  man, 
and  is  introduced  to  Mr.  Sharp. 

Mr.  Sharp  at  once  insinuates  himself  into  the  good 
opinion  of  Mr.  Green,  and  being  a  jovial,  good 
natured  fellow,  Mr.  Sharp  orders  up  a  bottle  of  spirits 
and  some  good  cigars.  Having  been  introduced  by 
the  steerer  with  a  quiet  wink,  Mr.  Sharp  is  thus  in 
formed  that  the  visitor  is  all  right,  and  he  begins 
business  at  once. 

"  Well  Mr.  Green,  my  friend  here  tells  me  you 
want  some  of  our  stock.  Would  you  like  to  look  at 
the  green  articles  ?" 

Mr.  Green  signifies  his  willingness,  and  Sharp, 
without  any  further  delay,  dives  down  into  his 
trousers  pockets,  and  draws  out  a  large  roll  of  bills. 
They  are  of  all  denominations,  from  one  dollar  up  to 
twenty,  and  are  bright,  fresh,  crisp  and  clean. 

It  is  perhaps  unnecessary  to  state  that  these  notes 
are  genuine  money,  and  have  been  obtained  from  the 
Sub-Treasury,  only  the  day  before,  in  exchange  for 
old  bills.  As  a  matter  of  course  their  appearance  is 
such  as  to  deceive  even  the  most  expert  judges,  and 
no  doubt  would  be  entertained  of  their  genuineness. 

Mr.  Green's  eyes  are  distended  to  their  utmost 
extent  at  this  exhibition,  and  Mr.  Sharp,  spreading 
out  some  of  the  bills  on  the  desk,  says  in  a  business 
like,  matter-of-fact  way  : 


THE    "BOODLE"     GAME.  77 

"There's  some  of  the  crooked  stuff.  Sell  it  to 
you  for  thirty  cents  on  the  dollar.  Twenty-five 
down,  and  the  other  five  after  the  stuff  is  delivered. 
We  flatter  ourselves  that  these  goods  are  pretty  well 
done,  Just  pick  'em  up  and  see  what  you  think  of 
'em." 

Mr.  Green  picks  them  up,  one  after  another,  and 
examines  them  critically.  He  is  perfectly  astonished. 
Pulling  out  some  bills  from  his  own  pocket,  he  places 
them  beside  the  supposed  counterfeits,  and  finds  to 
his  amazement,  that  the  likeness  is  perfect  in  every 
particular  and  detail.  At  length,  unable  to  control 
himself,  he  blurts  out  : 

"Well,  by  Gosh!  if  this  don't  beat  ennything  I 
ever  seed  !  By  the  great  horn-spoon,  they're  es  like 
es  two  peas." 

"  Well,  rather/'  remarks  Mr.  Sharp,  compla 
cently  ;  and  then  to  urge  the  trade,  he  adds,  with  se 
ductive  persuasiveness,  "you'll  find  we're  the  right 
sort  to  deal  with,  my  friend.  We  don't  take  any 
advantage  of  our  customers,  never.  If  you  have  any 
doubt  about  the  "  chromos  "  being  negotiable  and  all 
right  anywhere  on  the  Continent,  why,  we'll  just  go 
out  and  try  them.  Put  'em  to  a  practical  test,  you 
know,  and  that'll  settle  it." 

"  Oh,  'tain't  needful,  I  guess,  stranger,"  returns 
Green,  rather  indecisively. 


78  THE    "BOODLE"     GAME. 

"  Oh,  yes,  but  we'd  rather  have  the  worth  of  our 
goods  proved,"  says  Mr.  Sharp,  determined  to  clinch 
his  prospective  sale.  "  So,  if  you  please,  we'll  just 
step  into  the  street,  and  go  to  any  store  you  like,  and 
buy  something.  If  you  don't  get  your  change  out  of 
the  'chromos'  without  any  fuss  or  foolin',  why,  the 
bargain's  off,  and  you  needn't  have  anything  more  to 
do  with  us." 

This  offer  seems  very  fair  and  very  inviting,  and 
without  further  ado  the  party  sally  forth.  A  jewelry . 
store  is  most  naturally  the  objective  of  the  rural 
stranger,  as  he  desires  to  purchase  something  for  his 
lady-love  at  home.  Entering  the  store,  and  looking 
over  the  glittering  display,  a  pair  of  earrings  strikes 
the  fancy  of  Mr.  Verdant  Green,  and  after  critically 
examining  them,  Mr.  Sharp  inquires  : 

"  Well,  what  do  you  say,  Green,  will  these  suit 
you  ?" 

Mr.  Green  signifies  his  satisfaction,  and  there 
upon  Mr.  Sharp  takes  out  his  roll  of  notes,  and  in 
quires  of  the  store  keeper,  in  a  careless  tone  : 

"  How  much  ?" 

"  Five  dollars,"  is  the  reply. 

"  Well,  that's  reasonable  enough,"  answers  Mr. 
Sharp.  "Just  take  it  out  of  this." 

Mr.  Green  now  watches  the  jeweler  with  the  keen 
est  interest ;  but  everything  appears  to  be  all  right. 


THE    ^BOODLE"    GAME.  79 

For  the  storekeeper,  after  glancing  at  the  money  a 
moment,  places  it  in  the  drawer,  and  hands  over  the 
change  without  a  question. 

This  settles  the  matter  for  Mr.  Verdant  Green, 
and  when  they  at  last  reach  the  sidewalk,  he  gazes 
with  a  puzzled  expression,  first  at  the  jewelry  in  his 
hand  and  then  at  the  confidence  man,  who  stands 
smilingly  beside  him.  At  length,  in  tones  of  pro 
found  mystification  : 

"  Wall,  I'll  be  gull  darned,  stranger,  ef  you  don't 
beat  the  circus  juggler  all  holler !" 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  money- which 
Mr.  Sharp  has  passed  upon  the  jeweler  was  a  genu 
ine  ten  dollar  Government  note,  and  hence,  no  diffi 
culty  or  opposition  was  to  be  apprehended  ;  but  to 
the  credulous  Mr.  Green,  who  believes  the  note  to  be 
counterfeit,  the  result  seems  simply  wonderful.  At 
this  juncture,  when  the  victim  has  been  wound  up  to 
the  proper  pitch  of  unutterable  astonishment,  the 
confidence  man  says,  suggestively  : 

"Well,  now,  you  have  come  on  to  buy  the  chro- 
mos,  you  see  how  they  work ;  how  much  do  you 
want  ?" 

In  almost  every  case  the  victim  will  want  from  two 
to  five  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  the  stuff,  and  will  so 
state,  and  after  that  the  "saw-dust  racket"  is  put  in 
to  operation. 


8o  THE    "BOODLE"     GAME. 

Sometimes  the  money  is  handed  over  in  a  roll,  and 
in  that  case  a  roll  of  waste  paper,  with  a  few  counter 
feits  on  the  outside,  and  then  a  genuine  note  for  a 
wrapper  is  neatly  put  on,  and  when  the  victim  has  the 
,roll  safely  stowed  away  in  his  pocket,  the  parties  qui 
etly  drop  him,  and  leave  him  to  discover  the  decep 
tion  at  his  leisure.  Of  course  he  is  required  to  pay 
his  own  good  money  in  advance  of  receiving  the 
"green  articles,"  and  having  received  this,  Mr.  Sharp 
has  no  further  use  for  Mr.  Green. 

At  another  time,  when  the  amount  purchased  is 
large,  the  sharpers  secure  an  old  carpet  bag,  and  stuff 
ing  it  with  green  paper,  they  hand  it  to  the  poor  vic 
tim  to  carry.  Two  of  the  gang  accompany  him  on  his 
way  to  the  depot,  and  no  opportunity  is  allowed  him 
to  gaze  inside  of  the  valise  until  he  is  on  the  train, 
and  by  that  time  the  swindlers  have  fled  safely  away 
in  the  distance. 

Sometimes  the  order  given  is  quite  large,  and  in 
that  case  the  the  swindlers  arrange  it  to  send  the  goods 
by  express,  C.  O.  D.  This  meets  with  the  approval 
of  Mr.  Green,  and  he  unhesitatingly  advances  the 
twenty-five  per  cent.,  with  the  understanding  that  the 
balance  is  to  be  paid  when  the  goods  are  received.  In 
this  case  it  may  be  taken  as  a  certainty  that  the  box 
which  in  due  time  is  received  by  the  expectant  Mr. 


THE    "BOODLE"     GAME.  81 

Green,  contains  nothing  more  valuable  than  a  superior 
article  of  pure  and  simple  saw-dust. 

The  feelings  of  the  rustic  would-be  swindler  may 
be  imagined,  when  he  sees  the  interior  of  the  box  so 
carefully  sent  to  him,  and  realizes  that  he  has  paid  his 
percentage,  and  the  express  charges  also,  for  the 
proud  privilege  of  writing  himself  down  as  one  of  the 
largest  sized  simpletons  which  this  modern  age  pro 
duces. 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  no  exposure  follows  this 
disappointing  and  exasperating  discovery,  as  Mr. 
Green  would  be  compelled  to  divulge  his  own  in 
tended  rascality  before  he  could  proceed  against  the 
mythical  firm  of  B.  Sharp  &  Co.  In  this  manner  the 
game  is  successfully  worked,  and  the  victims  continue 
to  add  to  the  profits  of  the  "  Boodle  Swindlers." 

4* 


HOTEL  THIEVES. 

The  Hotel  Proprietor  as  a  Sufferer. — Night  Watchmen. — Safety- 
locks  and  Chain  Bolts. —  The  Modus  Operandi  of  the  profes 
sional  Hotel  Thief. — An  ingenious  kit  of  tools. — Preparations 
and  precautions. —  The  Cracksman  at  work. — Bar-Keys,  Wid- 
dies,  Nippers  and  Cut  Wires. — Entering  the  sleeping  guest's 
apartment. — A  unique  contrivance  for  doctoring  the  locks  of 
an  unoccupied  room. — Precautions  that  every  hotel  guest  should 
use. — The  Dapper  Traveling  Salesman. 

PROBABLY  no  more  prevalent  or  more  popular 
branch  of  dishonesty  exists  at  the  present  time 
than  the  robbery  of  hotels.  From  the  first-class  and 
aristocratic  hostelries  of  the  larger  cities,  to  the  well- 
kept  and  respectable  inns  and  taverns  of  country  vil 
lages  and  towns,  the  expert  thieves  select  their 
victims,  and  their  operations  are,  it  is  to  be  regretted, 
almost  universally  successful.  Wherever  travelers 
with  money  about  their  persons  are  to  be  found,  there 
also  will  appear  the  professional  thief  ready  to  relieve 
them  of  the  valuable  possessions.  Whenever  any  un 
usual  excitement  prevails  in  a  particular  locality  which 
82 


HO  TEL     THIE  VES.  83 

attracts  a  large  number  of  visitors,  the  thief  invaria 
bly  follows,  and,  in  most  cases,  reaps  an  abundant 
harvest.  Fairs  and  horse-races,  conventions  and  ex 
positions,  generally  cause  an  influx  of  strangers  to  the 
city  or  town  in  which  they  are  held,  and  the  hotels 
are,  in  consequence,  filled  to  overflowing.  All  of  the 
visitors  at  times  like  these,  are  amply  supplied  with 
ready  money,  and  these  gentry  fall  easy  victims  to 
the  midnight  robber  who  enters  their  sleeping  rooms, 
and  while  the  inmates  are  peacefully  slumbering,  rifle 
their  pockets,  and  even  search  the  beds  whereon  they 
are  lying.  These  thieves  do  not,  however,  restrict 
their  operations  to  the  times  of  excitement  and  over 
crowding  of  hotels,  but  upon  ordinary  occasions, 
when  the  public  houses  are  occupied  by  the  general 
class  of  the  traveling  public,  their  depredations  are 
carried  on  with  impunity,  and  with  a  degree  of  suc 
cess  that  is  absolutely  startling.  Almost  daily  the 
hotel-keepers  of  the  larger  cities  are  compelled  to 
make  restitution  for  losses  which  have  occurred  to 
their  guests,  who  retired  to  their  rooms  in  fancied 
security,  and  awoke  in  the  morning  to  find  them 
selves  completely  stripped  of  their  money  and  every 
article  of  value  of  which  they  were  possessed. 

For  several  years  past,  the  hotel  proprietors  all 
over  the  country  have  been  made  to  suffer  for  the 
appalling  number  of  robberies  which  have  taken 


84  HOTEL    THIEVES. 

place  in  their  respective  establishments.  Hundreds 
of  these  cases  occur  which  are  never  made  public,  and 
which  are  never  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  police  or 
detectives  for  investigation,  for  the  proprietors  invari 
ably  prefer  to  arrange  matters  with  their  guests  and 
to  reimburse  them  for  their  losses,  rather  than  give 
publicity  to  a  robbery  which  would  have  the  effect  of 
injuring  their  reputation  and  frightening  away  their 
customers.  Every  possible  precaution  has  been 
taken  by  the  proprietors  of  these  establishments,  to 
prevent  the  depredations  of  these  midnight  marau 
ders,  but  the  evil  has  simply  been  abated  not  abol 
ished.  Private  officers,  watchmen  and  detectives  have 
been  placed  on  every  floor  assigned  for  sleeping 
rooms,  and  yet,  despite  their  safeguards,  robbers  con 
tinue  to  gain  access  to  the  chambers,  and  unconscious 
guests  are  despoiled,  almost  under  the  very  eyes  of 
those  who  have  been  constituted  the  guardians  of 
'their  safety. 

All  first  class  hotels,  in  addition  to  the  mainte 
nance  of  a  corps  of  wakeful  and  alert  watchmen  upon 
the  outside  of  the  chambers,  have  also  placed  safe 
guards  within  the  rooms.  Every  door  is  provided 
with  a  double  lock — that  is,  a  lock  which  can  only  be 
locked  from  the  inside  of  the  room  and  cannot  be 
reached  from  the  outside,  as  the  key-hole  does  not 
extend  through  the  door.  The  ordinary  lock  upon 


HOTEL    THIEVES.  85 

the  outside  serves  to  admit  the  guesf  co  the  apart 
ment  assigned  to  him,  and  when  once  in,  he  locks  his 
door  from  the  inside  with  a  lock  that  only  operates 
upon  the  inner  side  of  the  door.  These  appliances 
form  within  themselves  two  distinct  locks,  one  of 
which  may  be  locked  upon  both  sides,  and  the  other 
only  from  the  inside.  Chain  bolts,  another  ingenious 
contrivance,  have  also  been  put  on  many  of  the  doors, 
and  yet,  with  all  these  provisions  against  the  entrance 
of  the  thief,  the  occupants  of  these  rooms  awake  in 
the  morning  to  find  that  they  have  been  robbed  dur 
ing  the  night,  and  their  doors  show  no  evidence  to 
the  inexpert  observer,  of  having  been  tampered  with 
in  any  particular.  To  those  unacquainted  with  the 
ingenious  workings  of  the  professional  hotel  thief, 
this  discovery  is  startling  and  inexplicable,  but  to 
those  who  have  studied  the  modes  and  operations  of 
this  class  of  criminals,  the  manner  in  which  an 
entrance  has  been  effected,  and  the  means  used  to 
accomplish  their  object,  the  solution  is  as  plain  as  the 
sun  at  noon-day. 

It  is  my  purpose  to  fully  explain  the  modus 
operandi  of  these  expert  thieves  and  to  so  fully 
inform  the  traveling  public  upon  these  matters,  that 
if  proper  precautions  are  taken,  and  a  rigid  scrutiny 
of  their  doors  and  locks  is  made  before  retiring,  an 


86  HO  2" EL    THIEVES. 

entry  will  be  prevented  and  a  successful  robbery 
will  be  impossible. 

Let  us  first  consider  the  tools  used  by  a  first-class 
hotel  thief,  after  which  we  will  describe  their  uses 
and  his  manner  of  working  with  them.  In  the  first 
place,  it  must  be  remembered,  that  this  class  of 
thieves  is  composed  of  exceedingly  sharp  and  intelli 
gent  men,  who  are  thoroughly  alive  to  every  circum 
stance  whether  of  a  favorable  nature  or  otherwise. 
They  are  experienced  in  the  use  of  tools  and  will 
handle  a  brace  and  bit  with  all  the  dexterity  of  the 
educated  artisan.  They  are  seldom  caught  napping, 
and  are  far  better  posted  as  to  the  whereabouts  of 
the  watchmen,  than  that  worthy  is  of  their  proximity. 
From  external  appearances  no  one  would  think  of 
suspecting  the  well-dressed,  gentlemanly  looking 
individual,  who  registers  himself  with  a  quiet  and 
unassuming  air,  and  whose  tone  and  conversation 
bespeak  both  travel  and  education.  In  the  reading 
room  and  at  the  dining  table  he  is  the  dignified,  yet 
affable  gentleman  of  business,  and  his  deportment  is 
at  all  times  unobtrusive  and  polite.  He  never 
dresses  in  the  gaudy  colors,  or  in  the  height  of 
fashion,  but  his  apparel  is  usually  chosen  with  the 
utmost  good  taste,  and  a  quiet  style  that  stamps  him 
as  a  gentleman  of  refined  tastes. 

His  tools,  which  are  generally  of  the  finest  quality 


HOTEL    THIEVES.  87 

of  tempered  steel,  consist  of  a  "  bar-key,"  a  set  of 
six  bits  of  various  sizes,  and  arranged  for  either  stem 
or  tumbler  locks  ;  a  small  drill ;  a  file  ;  a  "  sectional 
stem" — or  what  is  called  the  "widdy"  ;  several  pieces 
of  wire,  and  a  pair  of  nippers.  These  are  all  the 
articles  he  needs,  and  frequently  but  a  few  of  these 
are  required,  and  their  particular  uses  will  be  fully 
explained  in  their  proper  order.  These  implements 
do  not  occupy  much  room  in  the  traveling  satchel  of 
the  nomadic  thief,  and  are  frequently  carried  about 
his  person.  There  is  another  article  which  might  be 
mentioned,  which,  although  forming  no  part  of  the 
tools,  is  of  a  very  important  nature,  and  that  is  a 
piece  of  white  putty  or  pigment. 

Armed  with  these  instruments,  and  qualified  by  a 
long  system  of  training,  the  hotel-thief  is  now  fully 
prepared  to  set  out  on  his  travels.  His  plan  of  opera 
tion  is  as  follows  :  Hotel-thieves  almost  invariably 
travel  in  pairs,  though  their  companionship  is  never 
manifested  in  public,  and  to  all  observers  they  are  as 
distant  and  uncommunicative  as  the  utmost  strangers. 
They  generally  manage,  however,  to  secure  their 
rooms  upon  the  same  floor,  and,  if  possible,  without 
attracting  undue  attention,  within  close  proximity  of 
each  other.  Once  established  in  their  apartments, 
the  work  of  active  operation  at  once  begins.  The 
habits  of  the  guests  upon  the  floor  they  occupy  are 


88  HOTEL    THIEVES. 

carefully  studied,  and  they  soon  ascertain  which  of 
the  chambers  are  unoccupied.  These  preparatory 
steps  are  always  taken  during  the  day.  Having  dis 
covered  the  numbers  of  the  vacant  rooms,  they  make 
a  thorough  examination  of  the  locks  upon  their  own 
doors,  as  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  every  other  door 
upon  the  same  floor  will  be  similarly  secured.  Hav 
ing  acquired  this  knowledge,  they  are  ready  to  work. 
One  of  the  men  is  set  to  see  that  the  coast  is  clear, 
while  the  other  quickly  effects  an  entrance  into  one 
of  the  empty  rooms.  His  tools  are  taken  in  with 
him.  If  there  is  only  a  single  lock  to  contend  with, 
the  work  is  soon  done — the  "bar-key"  with  its  appro 
priate  bit  opens  the  door  readily  from  the  outside, 
and  no  further  arrangements  are  necessary  for  that 
room. 

Where  there  is  a  bolt  on  the  inside  of  the  door, 
a  hole  is  bored  through  the  door  from  the  inside  im 
mediately  over  the  handle  or  knob,  for  the  introduc 
tion  of  the  "  sectional  stem,"  and  then  this  hole  is 
carefully  puttied  up  and  the  small  spot  in  the  door  is 
colored  with  a  quick-drying  material  of  the  same 
color.  Ascertaining  that  the  corridor  is  empty,  by  a 
series  of  signals  with  his  partner  who  is  on  the  watch, 
the  thief  comes  cautiously  out,  and  covers  up  the 
hole  on  the  outside  in  the  same  manner.  In  this 
way,  provided  they  are  not  interrupted,  all  the  vacant 


HOTEL     THIEVES.  89 

rooms  on  this  floor  are  fixed,  awaiting  the  influx  of 
visitors  in  the  evening. 

Where  the  doors  are  fastened  with  double  locks, 
the  mode  of  "  fixing  "  is  different,  and  requires  more 
time  and  labor.  In  the  first  place,  entrance  is  obtained 
by  the  use  of  the  invaluable  "  bar-key  "—and  then 
locking  himself  in  the  thief  commences  work  upon  the 
inside  lock,  the  key  of  which  is  always  in  its  place. 
This  key  is  taken  out  of  the  lock,  and  a  hole  is 
drilled  directly  through  the  back  plate  of  the  lock  and 
the  door ;  this  hole  must  be  large  enough  to  admit  of 
the  introduction  of  a  fine  pair  of  nippers  for  turning 
the  key.  The  hole  is  then  bored  for  the  manipula 
tion  of  the  bolt,  and  then  all  is  puttied  up  and  painted 
over  as  before. 

There  is  another  mode  of  "  fixing  "  the  inside  lock, 
which  is  frequently  resorted  to,  but  which  is  not  so 
generally  successful  as  the  one  above  mentioned,  and 
that  is  simply  to  bore  a  large  gimlet  hole  through 
the  lock-plate  and  the  door,  and  then  to  file  a  slot  in 
the  end  of  the  key,  like  that  in  the  head  of  a  screw. 
By  this  means  a  large  puttied  hole  on  the  outside  of 
the  door  is  avoided,  and  a  small,  sharp  edged  brad 
awl  inserted  into  the  hole,  will  catch  upon  the  slot  in 
the  end  of  the  key,  which  can  then  be  turned  like  a 
screw-driver  and  screw.  Particular  attention  is  al 
ways  paid  to  the  location  of  the  bolts  and  locks  and 


90  HO  TEL     THIE  VES. 

the  position  of  the  bed  in  the  room,  so  that  no  delay 
may  be  caused  by  a  difficulty  in  locating  the  sleeper 
immediately  by  the  uncertain  light  which  comes 
through  the  transom  over,  the  door,  from  the  dimly- 
burning  gas  in  the  halls. 

These  preparations  being  duly  made,  and  from 
half  a  dozen  to  a  score  of  rooms  put  in  proper  condi 
tion  to  be  entered,  the  thieves  patiently  bide  their  time 
until  evening.  The  registers  are  carefully  watched  in 
order  to  ascertain  which  of  the  rooms  they  have 
"  fixed,"  are  to  be  occupied,  and  an  estimate  is  made, 
if  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  of  the  individuals  who  have 
been  assigned  to  them,  with  the  view  of  selecting 
those  from  whom  the  richest  harvest  may  be  reaped. 

The  next  precaution,  and  this  is  of  paramount  im 
portance,  is  to  carefully  study  the  habits  of  the  detec 
tives  or  watchmen  who  perform  their  duties  during  the 
night  For  this  purpose  the  thieves  are  often  com 
pelled  to  delay  their  operations  for  two  or  three  nights 
1  in  order  to  become  thoroughly  familiarized  with  the 
movements  of  these  guardians  of  the  persons  and 
property  of  the  guests  of  the  hotel. 

Before  detailing  the  manner  in  which  robberies  of 
this  character  are  usually  effected,  we  will  describe 
the  nature  and  the  uses  of  the  tools  and  implements, 
which  form  the  stock  in  trade  of  an  expert  professional 
hotel  thief. 


HOTEL     THIEVES.  91 

The  key  and  bits  which  these  cracksmen  use  are  of 
peculiar  construction.  They  consist  of  a  straight  steel 
key-bar  with  bits  which  can  be  inserted  at  will,  and 
they  can  be  used  either  upon  any  ordinary  stem  lock  or 
tumbler  lock  with  perfect  ease.  The  files,  drills, 
awls,  etc.  are  of  the  usual  pattern,  but  are  made  of  fine 
steel  and  highly  tempered.  The  "sectional  stem"  is 
an  instrument  of  great  peculiarities  and  is  a  very  use 
ful  tool  in  the  hands  of  an  expert  workman.  It  is 
made  of  fine  steel  or  iron  and  consists  of  two  pieces 
of  metal,  one  of  which  is  about  eight  inches  long,  and 
the  other  about  two  inches,  and  iS  about  as  thick  as  a 
small  brad-awl.  These  two  pieces  are  joined  together 
with  a  screw  or  rivet,  which  not  being  tight  allows 
the  foremost  end  to  drop  down  when  the  joint  has 
passed  through  the  door.  A  piece  of  fine  strong  cord 
is  fastened  to  the  end  of  this  stem,  which  on  being 
pulled,  draws  the  end  down  until  it  is  at  right  angles 
with  the  piece  to  which  it  is  attached,  and  by  retain- 
ing  the  tension  of  the  string,  the  instrument  is  kept  in 
proper  position  for  work.  On  the  other  end  of  this 
instrument  is  fastened  a  knob  or  ball,  which  enables 
the  operator,  by  simply  turning  it,  to  work  the  point 
at  the  other  end.  This  "sectional  stem,"  is  used  for 
slipping  the  bolts  on  the  inside  of  a  door,  and  the 
manner  of  working  it  is  as  follows  :  the  stem,  both 
parts  perfectly  straight,  is  inserted  into  the  hole  drilled 


92 


HOTEL    THIEVES. 


through  the  door  over  the  bolt,  the  string  is  then 
pulled,  which  causes  the  end  piece  of  the  stem  to 
drop  down,  thus  forming  an  L,  and  then,  when  the 
handle  of  the  bolt  is  touched,  by  simply  turning  the 
knob  or  handle,  it  is  slipped  as  easily  as  though  the 
operation  was  performed  from  the  inside. 


The  ''bar-key"  is  a  very  important  instrument, 
and  from  the  nature  of  its  construction,  in  the  hands 
of  an  expert  manipulator,  will  open  any  ordinary  door 


HOTEL    THIEVES. 


93 


from  the  outside,  without  any  previous  preparation. 
It  consists  of  the  bar  and  handle  of  an  ordinary  key, 
with  a  slot  in  the  end  of  it,  into  which  may  be  inserted 
the  bits,  which  are  especially  designed  for  the  locks  of 
the  general  hotel  doors,  and  a  screw  which  secures 
these  bits  in  their  places. 


By  the  above  arrangement,  it  will  be  seen  that 
bits  of  different  kinds  and  shapes  may  be  inserted  into 
the  bar,  and  the  key  of  the  rooms  occupied  by  the 
thieves,  will  at  once  show  them  the  nature  of  the  bit 
which  they  will  require  in  order  to  work  upon  the 
others.  T  and  L  bits  are  made  in  such  variety  that 
they  will  open  any  door  not  furnished  with  tumbler 
locks,  and  when  tumbler  locks  are  used,  the  necessary 
bits  to  open  these  doors  can  be  readily  procured  or 
manufactured  by  the  thief  himself. 

The  "widdy  "  is  a  small  piece  of  bent  wire  with  a 
string  attached,  forming  a  sort  of  bow. 

With  this  simple  instrument  running  through  a 
keyhole,  if  the  bolt  is  below  the  lock  ;  or  a  gimlet 


94 


HOTEL    THIEVES. 


hole  made  for  the  purpose,  if  above  the  lock,  a  burg 
lar  can  throw  back  any  mortise,  spring  or  sliding  bolt 

\ 


now  in  use,  no  matter  in  what  position  it  is,  or  how 
the  knob  may  be  placed.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
"widdy"  will  operate  the  finest  night-latch  in  exist 
ence,  and  for  a  variety  of  purposes  it  is  one  of  the 
most  useful  of  articles. 

The  pieces  of  bent  wire  are  usually  shaped  as  fol 
lows  : 


The  first  is  used  to  throw  back  sliding-bolts, 
when  the  knob  is  turned  up,  the  other  is  used  when 
the  knob  is  turned  down.  Four  sizes  of  this  wire  are 
usually  carried,  so  that  if  the  first  will  not  catch  the 
bolt,  the  next  is  used,  and  so  on.  The  advantage  of 
this  is,  that  the  necessity  of  boring'  more  than  one 


HOTEL    THIEVES.  95 

gimlet  hole  in  the  door  is  thus  avoided.  The 
"widdy,"  however,  will  dispense  with  the  use  of 
these  wires,  as  that  instrument  will  perform  its  work 
anywhere.  These  wire  instruments  are  usually  made 
of  umbrella  wire,  and  can  be  readily  fashioned  into 
shape  by  a  thief  who  understands  his  business,  and 
the  use  of  tools  when  made. 

When  everything  is  ready  for  the  operation,  and 
the  guests  are  all  sleeping  soundly  in  their  beds,  the 
thieves  begin  their  work.  If  the  corridors  are  de 
serted,  their  labors  are  easy,  and  their  entrance  into 
the  chambers  of  the  sleepers  is  easily  effected,  with 
out  risk  and  in  a  short  space  of  time.  If,  however, 
there  is  a  watchman  on  duty,  a  careful  espionage  is 
maintained  upon  his  movements,  and  should  he  leave 
his  post  for  a  few  minutes,  sufficient  time  is  given  to 
the  thieves  in  which  to  work.  Five  minutes  is  fre 
quently  all  the  time  an  expert  thief  occupies  in 
:"  working"  a  single  room.  Armed  with  his  ''bar- 
key,"  his  nippers  and  the  "sectional  stem,"  he  sallies 


forth  while  his  companion  unobservedly  maintains  a 
close  watch  upon  all  the  surroundings,  and  stands 
prepared  to  give  prompt  warning  in  case  of  danger. 


96  HOTEL    THIEVES. 

If  the  sleeper  to  be  operated  upon  has  left  the 
key  in  the  outer  lock,  the  nippers  are  used,  and  in  a 
twinkling,  that  part  of  the  difficulty  is  over,  and  the 
key  is  turned  so  quickly  and  noiselessly  that  no  one 
would  be  aware  of  what  was  going  on.  If,  however, 
there  is  an  inner  or  double  lock,  and  a  bolt  on  the 
door,  the  putty  from  the  drilled  hole  is  quickly  re 
moved,  the  nippers  are  inserted,  and  in  case  the  in 
side  key  has  been  prepared  by  filing,  as  I  have  men 
tioned  before,  the  sharp  awl  is  used,  and  fitting  into 
the  slot  in  the  end  of  the  key,  turns  it  readily.  Then 
the  "sectional  stem,"  the  "widdy,"  or  the  bent  wire 
is  inserted  through  the  hole  over  the  bolt,  the  string 
is  pulled,  and  with  an  easy  turn  of  the  wrist,  the  bolt 
is  thrown  back,  and  every  obstacle  to  the  entrance  of 
the  thief  is  removed. 

Should  the  door,  however,  be  fastened  with  the 
ordinary  chain  bolts,  the  manner  of  working  them  is 
as  follows  : — The  door  is  opened  sufficiently  to  allow 
the  burglar  to  put  his  arm  on  the  inside  and  measure 
from  the  edge  of  the  door  to  the  edge  of  the  plate. 
This,  of  course,  is  where  no  previous  preparations 
have  been  made,  but  when  the  thief  has  properly 
"faked"  the  room,  as  he  calls  it — that  is,  "fixed"  it 
for  his  entrance  in  the  evening,  the  hole  is  already 
bored  in  its  proper  place.  Through  the  hole  thus 
made,  a  thin  wire  about  the  thickness  of  a  silk  thread 


HO  TEL     TH1R  VES.  97 

is  passed,  and  then,  with  the  door  opened,  the  wire  is 
carried  by  the  hand  and  passed  through  the  eye  of 
the  "  dog  "  on  the  inside.  To  the  end  of  this  wire  a 
button  is  attached.  The  door  is  then  closed  and  the 
wire  is  gently  pulled,  which  draws  the  chain  back  to 
the  opening  in  the  end  of  the  plate  and  it  falls  out. 
All  impediments  are  now  removed,  and  turning  the 
knob  softly,  the  door  is  opened  and  the  thief  noise 
lessly  enters  the  room.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  is 
to  replace  the  plugs  in  the  holes  in  the  door.  This  is 
done  in  an  instant,  and  then  the  thief,  maintaining  a 
stooping  posture,  springs  for  the  clothing  of  the  un 
suspecting  occupant.  The  reasons  for  adopting  this 
stooping  position  or  falling  upon  the  knees  is  obvi 
ous,  as  every  person  in  bed  on  being  awakened  sud 
denly,  will  naturally  look  up  and  not  down.  His 
movements  are  as  rapid  as  the  flash  of  the  lightning, 
and  as  noiseless  as  the  Indian  on  the  trail.  If  he  is 
successful  in  finding  a  good  roll  of  money  or  a  wallet 
he  goes  no  further,  but  if  only  loose  change  is  found, 
his  next  point  of  attack  is  the  bed.  Should  the  vest 
be  missing,  the  thief  knows  that  this  garment  has  been 
placed  under  the  pillow.  Experience  has  taught  him 
many  things,  and  one  glance  at  the  arrangement  of 
the  bed  sheet  will  tell  him  whether  the  sleeper  has 
placed  his  valuables  under  the  mattress  or  under  his 
pillow.  If  the  sheet  is  disturbed  and  is  hanging 
5 


98  HOTEL     THIEVES. 

down,  near  the  centre  of  the  bed,  he  knows  to  a  cer 
tainty  that  the  mattress  conceals  what  he  desires,  as 
the  chamber-maids  invariably  tuck  the  sheets  in  un 
der  the  mattress  ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  sheets 
are  all  snug  and  tucked  under,  he  knows  that  his 
plunder  is  under  the  head  of  his  victim.  A  few  deft 
movements  in  either  direction  and  the  thief  has  se 
cured  the  property,  whether  the  same  is  placed  under 
mattress  or  pillow.  His  exit  is  then  made  as  stealth 
ily  as  his  entrance,  and  closing  the  door  carefully  be 
hind  him,  he  plugs  up  the  door  upon  the  outside. 

In  many  cases,  the  thieves  are  sufficiently  con 
siderate  to  lock  the  door  behind  them,  and  their 
manner  of  proceeding  is  thus  explained.  After  secur 
ing  their  booty  the  key  is  returned  to  the  keyhole. 
Around  the  knob  of  the  bolt,  a  silk  thread  is  looped, 
and  the  ends  brought  through  the  crevice  in  the  door 
to  the  outside.  Pulling  the  thread,  shoots  the  bolt 
back  into  its  sheath,  then  one  end  of  the  thread  is 
dropped  and  is  drawn  through  the  crevice  and  re 
moved.  The  key  is  then  caught  from  the  outside  by 
the  nippers  and  on  being  turned  leaves  the  door 
bolted  and  locked,  as  the  victims  left  them  before 


retiring. 


Where  there  is  but  the  ordinary  lock  and  bolt, 
the  entrance  is  frequently  effected  without  disturbing 
or  defacing  the  door  in  the  least,  the  "widdy"  is 


HOTEL     THIEVES.  99 

inserted  through  the  keyhole  and  works  the  lock 
without  any  previous  drilling,  and  thus  the  chances 
of  detection  are  considerably  reduced. 

When  the  sleeper  awakes  in  the  morning,  and  to 
his  dismay  discovers  that  he  has  been  robbed,  his 
first  movement  is  to  examine  the  fastenings  of  his 
door.  Finding  nothing  suspicious  about  them,  he 
is  perfectly  dumbfounded  and  utterly  at  a  loss  to 
account  for  what  has  taken  place,  and  even  should  he 
find  that  everything  is  unlocked,  and  the  door  un- 
defaced,  he  naturally  concludes,  with  a  sinking  heart, 
that  he  failed  to  take  proper  precautions  before  retir 
ing,  and  reports  so  at  the  office.  As  this  is  a  very 
common  occurrence,  the  guest  is  solemnly  cautioned 
to  be  more  careful  in  the  future,  and  by  all  means  to 
deposit  his  valuables  with  the  clerk  before  going  to 
bed. 

How  a  thief  can  extract  articles  from  under  a 
mattress  or  pillow  without  awaking  a  sleeper,  has 
been  a  continual  mystery  to  most  people.  The  mode 
of  operation  adopted  by  the  thief  is  generally  to  bare 
the  right  arm  to  the  shoulder,  and  then  holding 
either  mattress  or  pillow  with  the  left  hand,  lifting  it 
gently  and  with  a  steady  motion,  and  then  gently 
inserting  the  bare  arm,  pull  forth  whatever  may  be 
found  concealed  there. 

The  victims  of  hotel  thieves  are  designated   by 


i  oo  HO  TEL     THIE  VES 

the  very  delicate  title  of  "  patients,"  and  the  usual 
patient  manner  in  which  they  submit  to  the  operations 
of  the  skillful  robber  amply  justifies  the  application  of 
the  term. 

If  a  thief  is  disturbed  or  discovered  he  does  not 
make  any  further  attempt  that  evening,  but  quietly 
makes  his  escape  to  his  room.  Should  he  however, 
be  successful,  he  rarely  exceeds  three  rooms  in  one 
night,  being  generally  content  with  what  he  has,  and 
not  caring  to  further  increase  the  chances  of  his| 
detection. 

It  sometimes  happens,  though  I  am  glad  to  state, 
very  rarely,  that  the  persons  who  have  been  employed 
to  guard  the  guests  of  a  hotel  from  the  visits  of 
these  nightly  plunderers,  are  composed  of  pliable 
material,  and  the  bestowal  of  a  ten  or  twenty  dollar 
bill  upon  one  of  these  gentlemen  will  ensure  his  ab 
sence  during  the  time  the  thief  desires  to  work.  It 
has  not  infrequently  happened  that  thieves  have 
remained  unsuspected  and  in  continued  operation  for 
a  week  in  a  single  hotel,  although  that  is  generally 
the  longest  time  in  which  thieves  have  confined  their 
depredations  to  one  place.  In  order  to  cover  himself 
more  completely  for  an  extended  period  like  this,  the 
thief  with  brazen  assurance  will  make  a  loud  com 
plaint  at  the  office  of  having  been  robbed  himself. 

When  entering  a  room,  the  thief  is  always  dressed 


HOTEL     THTRVES.  TOT, 


in  soft  woollen  clothing,  and  wears  woollen;Stjocklng.> 
upon  his  feet.  The  noise  made  by  the  rustling  of  a 
muslin  or  linen  shirt,  when  everything  is  hushed  and 
still,  is  often  sufficiently  loud  or  harsh  to  awaken 
people,  particularly  ladies,  from  a  sound  and  comfort 
able  slumber.  Hence  it  is  that  the  thief  will  invari 
ably  wear  a  woollen  shirt  when  he  attempts  to  purloin 
the  valuables  of  his  sleeping  victims. 

There  is  a  certain  class  of  hotel  thieves  who 
confine  their  operations  to  the  time  usually  de 
nominated  the  "  sporting  season."  They  follow  the 
trotting  horses  and  racers,  and  make  the  circuit  of 
county  fairs,  base-ball  games  and  such  other  exhibi 
tions  and  entertainments  calculated  to  draw  large 
crowds.  They  generally  arrive  in  a  city  or  town  two 
or  three  days  in  advance  of  the  day  on  which  these 
events  occur,  and  then,  by  active  work  are  enabled  to 
find  plenty  of  empty  rooms  to  "  doctor,"  before  the 
tide  of  visitors  sets  in  and  the  hotels  are  filled. 

In  a  number  of  instances,  the  process  of  boring 
the  doors  has  been  obviated  where  there  are  tran 
soms  over  the  doors  of  the  rooms  to  be  operated 
upon,  and  sufficient  time  is  not  given  to  prepare  the 
locks  for  the  midnight  visit.  The  instrument  used 
in  this  case,  is  rather  a  unique  contrivance,  which 
any  one,  whether  a  mechanic  or  not,  can  construct 
without  difficulty.  It  consists  of  two  pieces  of  thin, 


:HOTEL    THIEVES. 

g  W06d,'0jie.  of  which  is  about  three  feet  long 
and  the  other  about  eight  inches.  One  end  of  each 
of  these  two  pieces  are  joined  together  with  a  screw, 
but  are  sufficiently  loose  to  enable  them  to  be  turned 
around  readily.  On  the  end  of  the  smaller  piece  there 
are  nailed  three  small  strips  of  wood,  one  at  the  end, 
and  one  on  each  side,  which  forms  a  sort  of  box,  open 
at  one  end,  as  in  the  figure  here  shown. 


In  using  this  instrument,  two  men  operate  to 
gether.  One  of  them  places  himself  before  the  door, 
while  the  lightest  one  mounts  upon  his  shoulders,  and 
opening  the  transom  fully,  inserts  his  arm  and  hand, 
which  contains  the  implement  above  described.  He 
manipulates  this  instrument  so  that  the  boxed  end  of 
the  stick  will  reach  the  handle  of  the  key,  which  is 
then  inclosed  by  the  three  raised  sides  of  the  stick. 
By  pushing  downward  upon  the  long  end  of  the  stick, 
the  box  attachment  is  made  to  turn,  and  this,  as  a 
natural  consequence,  turns  the  key  along  with  it,  pre 
cisely  after  the  manner  of  working  a  crank.  The  bolt 
is  then  shot  back,  with  the  aid  of  this  stick,  and  in  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time,  the  door  yields  to  their 
efforts,  and  the  slumbering  guest  is  at  the  mercy  of 


HO  TEL     TH1E  VES.  1 03 

the  thieves.  This  plan  has  many  advantages,  as  it 
leaves  no  traces  of  tampering  with  locks  or  keys,  and 
the  door  is  never  defaced  ;  but  it  has  counterbalanc 
ing  objections  in  requiring  two  men  before  the  door, 
in  the  increased  liability  to  detection  and  in  the  ina 
bility  to  work  the  locks  as  quickly  as  with  the  nip 
pers,  the  awl,  or  the  "  sectional  stem." 

The  operations  of  the  hotel  thief  have  thus  been 
fully  given,  in  the  hope  that  the  traveling  public 
may  take  the  warnings  given,  and  guard  against  dan 
ger  in  the  future.  To  the  guest  at  the  hotel,  I  would 
say,  always  examine  the  door  of  your  room  before  re 
tiring,  and  look  carefully  at  the  keys  and  the  tran 
soms.  Never  take  a  large  amount  of  money  or  valu 
able  jewelry  to  your  rooms,  but  leave  them  with  the 
clerk  of  the  hotel,  who  will  place  them  in  the  safe. 
This  plan  not  only  serves  as  a  protection  against  the 
thieves,  but  compels  the  hotel  proprietor  to  assume 
the  responsibility  of  their  safe  keeping,  and  to  make 
restitution  in  case  of  loss. 

In  this  connection,  and  while  laying  bare  the  oper 
ations  of  the  professional  hotel  thief,  I  may  mention 
another  specimen,  which  generally  does  not  figure 
in  court  reports,  and  is  seldom  represented  in  the 
prisons  of  the  country.  I  allude  to  the  dapper, 
little  traveling  salesman,  whose  ideas  of  life  are  very 
high,  and  whose  salary  is  correspondingly  low.  This 


T 04  no rnr,   THTE VES. 

latter  fact,  however,  would  never  be  suspected.  He 
wears  the  latest  and  the  most  stylish  clothing ;  from 
the  crown  of  his  lustrous  tile,  to  the  pointed  toe  of  his 
irreproachable  gaiters,  he  appears  to  the  well-to-do, 
blazt  man  about  town.  He  carries  samples  of  value, 
and  his  jewelry  is  generally  of  the  first  quality,  while 
his  limited  supply  of  diamonds  is  all  of  the  finest  and 
purest.  This  young  gentleman  arrives  in  the  city, 
he  makes  his  sales  to  the  trade,  perhaps  also  makes 
some  collections  ;  and  during  the  times  not  occupied 
with  his  business,  which  are  many,  he  is  having  a 
glorious  good  time.  A  sojourn  of  a  week  will  enable 
him  to  spend  his  moderate  salary  for  three  months. 
What  then  ?  Why,  means  must  be  devised  to  reim 
burse  the  depleted  exchequer.  But  how  ?  Ah,  that 
is  very  easy.  On  the  morning  following  some  expen 
sive  orgie,  the  dashing  young  gentleman  makes 
his  appearance  before  the  hotel  proprietor  in  woeful 
plight.  His  eyes  are  wild,  his  dress  disordered. 
What  has  occasioned  this  wonderful  metamorpho 
sis  ?  The  answer  is  soon  given — the  young  man  has 
been  robbed  !  On  the  evening  before,  he  retired  to 
his  room  quite  early.  In  the  morning  he  awoke, 
only  to  find  that  his  room  had  been  entered  ;  his 
clothing  searched ;  his  jewels  and  all  his  money, 
amounting  to  several  hundred  dollars,  carried  off  by 
the  reckless  thieves.  -  His  story  seems  plausible.  He 


HOTEL    THIEVES.  105 

is  a  gentleman.  He  represents  a  good  house. 
What  then  ?  Why,  the  proprietor,  to  prevent  the 
news  of  the  robbery  from  being  made  public,  and 
thereby  injuring  the  reputation  of  the  house,  makes 
good  the  alleged  loss,  and  pays  to  the  poor  victim  a 
sufficient  sum  to  reimburse  him  for  all  his  losses.  The 
young  man  departs  downcast  but  grateful,  and  at  the 
next  city  he  extracts  his  jewelry  from  its  hiding-place, 
and  with  a  replenished  pocket-book,  he  fully  enjoys 
himself  upon  the  proceeds  of  the  robbery,  which  it  is 
needless  to  add,  he  committed  himself. 

This  young  dandy  is   seldom  discovered,  seldom 
punished,  but  he  is   as  much  a  professional  criminal 
as   the    man  whose   actions    and    operations  I    have 
described  in  the  fore  part  of  this  chapter. 
5* 


SNEAK   THIEVING. 

An  Apparent  Gentleman. — His  noiseless  footstep. — A  Bag  for 
Booty. — Skeleton  Keys. — Entrance  to  the  Bank  Vault. — Co-op 
eration  of  his  Stalls. — A  Preference  for  Country  Banks. — En 
gaging  the  Bank  Officials. — Inside  of  a  Bank. — Interviewing 
the  President  and  Cashier. — Buying  Drafts  and  Claiming 
Shorts. — Arguments  and  Re-counts. — A  Queer  Stepladder. — A 
Stray  Note  Dropped  on  the  Floor. — Done  Up  in  Broivn 
Paper. — Safe  Deposit  Companies. — Gaining  Admission  to  the 
Vaults. — Mingling  with  the  Depositors. —  Warning  Advice  to 
Safe  Deposit  Companies  and  Customers. — Daring  and  Success 
ful  Robbery  by  Sneak  Thieves  in  New  York. —  The  office  of 
James  H.  Bloodgood. — $250,000  Carried  off. — A  Hunt  for 
the  Thieves. —  Watchful  Surveillance. — Shadowing  a  Suspected 
Rendezvous. — A  Dashing  Woman. — My  Detectives  on  the 
Track. — Off  for  Baltimore  and  Petersburgh. —  The  Strategy 
of  Robert  Pinkerton. — Arrest  and  Recovery  of  the  Bonds. — Re 
covery  i?/ $5 1,000,  Government  Bonds,  for  the  National  Bank 
of  Courtland,  N.  Y. 

AMONG  all  the  numerous  branches,  or  depart 
ments  of  crime,  there  is  not  one  so  pernicious, 
and  perhaps  so  uniformly  successful,  as  that  of  sneak 
thieving.  With  noiseless,  cat-like  step  the  sneak  will 
crawl  to  his  prey,  and  without  leaving  a  single  trace 
of  his  presence,  will  escape  unobserved,  with  large 

106 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  107 

sums  of  money,  under  the  very  eyes  of  watchful  and 
alert  business  men,  whose  duty  it  is  to  guard  the 
treasures  intrusted  to  their  keeping.  No  trade  or 
profession  is  exempt  from  the  visits  of  these  sneaking 
thieves,  who  penetrate  through  all  the  ramifications 
of  both  business  and  social  life,  and  ply  their  voca 
tions  in  the  broad  light  of  day.  Unlike  the  burglar, 
the  sneak-thief  does  not  await  the  coming  of  night, 
and  under  the  cover  of  the  darkness  pursue  his  des 
perate  calling.  He  needs  not  to  be  assured  that  his 
victims  are  sleeping  to  ensure  his  safety  in  his  un 
dertakings  ;  his  fields  of  operations  are  always  among 
the  active,  the  wakeful  and  the  bustling.  No  dark 
lantern  and  ponderous  "  jimmy,"  no  giant  powder  or 
diamond  drill  form  the  implements  of  the  trade  of 
the  sneak-thief ;  for  the  doors  of  wealth  are  always 
opened  to  him  without  force  or  violence,  and  the 
money  and  valuables  which  he  takes,  are  placed  with 
in  his  easy  reach. 

The  proselytes  of  this  branch  of  crime  range  from 
the  boy  and  girl  in  their  teens,  who  rob  unsuspecting 
merchants  of  small  articles  of  merchandise,  to  the  full- 
grown  man  who  enters  a  bank  during  the  bustle  and 
activity  of  business  and  steals  thousands  r'  dollars. 

In  the  larger  and  more  ambitious  operations  of 
the  sneak  thief,  success  requires  the  association  of 
three  or  four  men,  who  thoroughly  understand  their 


io&  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

business,  and  who  by  appearance  and  education  are 
fully  qualified  for  the  delicate  duties  which  devolve 
upon  them.  This  association,  as  in  the  case  of  other 
combinations  to  defraud,  is  called  a  "  mob,"  with  their 
''stalls,"  and  with  the  man  who  does  the  actual  steal 
ing,  who  is  called  the  "sneak."  The  "stalls,"  for  the 
most  part,  are  men  of  fine  appearance,  who  dress  well, 
and  are  possessed  of  more  than  an  ordinary  amount 
of  educational  advantages.  They  are  well  posted  in 
general  business  matters,  and  can  converse  intelligent 
ly  upon  the  intricate  questions  connected  with  banks 
and  banking.  Never  loud  in  their  appearance  or  con 
versation,  their  entrance  into  a  banking  institution 
occasions  no  surprise  or  suspicion,  and  cashiers  and 
clerks  afford  them  desired  information  with  as  much 
consideration  and  politeness  as  they  bestow  upon 
their  well  known  and  responsible  depositors.  The 
"  sneak,"  however,  need  not  be  so  well  favored,  al 
though  he  frequently  is  as  much  of  an  apparent  gen 
tleman  as  his  associates. 

Before  describing  the  movements  of  this  class  of 
criminals  it  may  be  as  well  to  mention  a  few  of  the 
articles  which  are  considered  essential  for  successful 
operation.  The  most  important  thing  is  that  the 
"sneak"  shall  be  supplied  with  a  pair  of  shoes  or 
slippers  that  will  make  no  noise — a  creaking  shoe  be 
ing  considered  as  a  sure  producer  of  detection — with 


SN&AK     THfEVlNG.  169 

little  or  no  heel,  and  frequently  with  felt  soles.  The 
foot-coverings  of  the  sneak  thief  are  as  noiseless  as 
though  he  walked  in  his  stockings.  The  low  heel  is 
a  wise  precaution,  for  almost  every  bank  vault  has  an 
iron  step  or  a  bar  on  the  floor,  against  which  the  doors 
close,  and  there  would  be  great  danger  in  striking 
against  this  if  the  heels  were  high.  The  slightest 
noise  in  the  direction  of  the  bank  vault  is  certain  to 
attract  attention,  and  then  detection  is  sure  to  follow. 
The  "sneak"  must  also  be  provided  with  a  large  bag 
in  which  to  conceal  his  booty  ;  this  is  generally  made 
of  black  flannel  or  muslin,  and  is  furnished  with  a 
drawing  string  in  the  top,  much  after  the  fashion  of 
the  bags  usually  carried  by  lawyers.  This  bag  is 
large  enough  to  hold  one  or  more  tin  boxes  such  as 
are  usually  found  in  the  vaults  of  banks,  and  in  which 
valuable  papers,  bonds,  and  money  are  kept.  Some 
times  the  pockets  in  the  coat  worn  by  the  "sneak," 
will  extend  around  the  entire  inside  lining,  which 
makes  the  inner  lining  of  the  coat  one  immense 
pocket.  This  is  used  when  the  bag  has  been  neglected, 
or  where  a  sudden  opportunity  occurs  to  perpetrate  a 
robbery,  for  which  no  previous  preparations  were 
made. 

Skeleton  keys  of  all  patterns  are  carried  by  the 
sneak,  so  that  if  time  allows  he  can  readily  open  the 
tin  boxes  in  the  vaults,  without  the  dangerous  and 


no  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

troublesome  task  of  removing  the  entire  box,  and  at 
the  same  time  delaying  the  period  of  discovery  of  the 
crime. 

For  the  purpose  of  illustration  we  will  select  a 
bank  in  which,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  during  busi 
ness  hours  the  vault  doors  are  open  and  the  strong 
boxes  are  unlocked.  The  vault,  we  will  assume,  is  at 
the  rear  end  of  the  banking  room,  and  the  clerks,  as 
they  stand  at  their  desks  facing  the  customers,  have 
their  backs  towards  the  vault.  Should  this  be  the 
case — and  it  frequently  is  so — there  is  generally  a 
passage  way  or  small  gate  at  the  end  of  the  desks  by 
which  the  clerks  enter,  and  through  which  also  the 
" sneak"  can  readily  work  his  way.  This  is  one  of 
the  most  simple  operations  for  the  "  sneak,"  and  in 
which  he  is  almost  uniformly  successful.  One  or  two 
of  the  "stalls,"  will  enter  the  bank,  and  in  the  most 
business-like  manner  possible  engage  the  clerk  in 
conversation  upon  some  question  of  banking  business. 
They  either  want  some  information  about  opening  an 
account,  or  drawing  a  draft — and  it  is  a  very  easy 
matter  to  prolong  a  conversation  of  this  character 
sufficiently  long  to  enable  the  "  sneak  "  to  crawl,  on 
hands  and  knees,  into  the  vault,  and  to  hastily  pick 
up  all  that  he  can  conveniently  carry  away,  and  then 
to  make  his  way  again  to  the  front  of  the  bank.  Of 
course  this  style  of  robbery  is  generally  attempted  in 


SNEAK     TH1E  VI NG.  1 1 1 

country  banks,  where  there  are  but  few  clerks,  and 
where  the  number  of  customers  is  small ;  but  the  num 
ber  of  such  banks  is  far  greater  than  the  well  guarded 
city  banks  with  their  army  of  clerks,  and  stalwart 
watchmen — and  therefore  are  more  generally  selected 
by  the  watchful  thieves. 

It  may  be  as  well  to  state  that  of  late  years,  it  has 
become  almost  impossible  to  rob  a  well  appointed 
and  well  guarded  city  bank.  Every  precaution  has 
been  taken,  and  every  safeguard  adopted  which 
experience  and  sagacity  can  suggest,  and  every  bank 
of  any  prominence  has  one  or  more  strong  limbed 
and  alert  policemen  who  are  on  duty  about  the 
interior  during  the  entire  time  that  the  bank  is  open 
for  business.  The  thieves,  however,  are  as  well 
posted  on  these  particulars  as  the  banks  themselves, 
and  therefore,  they  do  not  attempt  the  impossible 
task  of  robbing  these  institutions,  but  confine  their 
operations  to  the  more  fruitful  fields  of  country  banks 
and  those  of  the  smaller  cities. 

Now,  should  the  vault  in  the  bank  be  so  arranged 
— being  placed  at  the  end  of  the  counter  and  at  the 
side  of  the  cashier — that  any  person  entering  it  would 
be  instantly  discovered  by  the  cashier,  the  "  stall " 
then  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  transaction. 
Entering  the  bank,  he  addresses  the  cashier,  and 
engages  him  in  the  calculation  of  the  interest  due 


T  1 2  SNEAK     THIE  VTNG. 

upon  a  draft  which  he  has  in  his  possession,  or  con 
sults  him  about  the  collection  of  some  coupons,  induc 
ing  him  by  degrees,  to  perform  the  necessary  task  of 
figuring  up  the  possible  results.  The  "  stall"  is 
meanwhile  so  placing  himself,  that  the  back  of  the 
cashier  will  be  turned  toward  the  open  door  of  the 
vault.  With  a  natural  desire  to  see  what  the  cashier 
is  doing,  he  will  turn  the  paper  in  one  direction  or 
the  other,  so  that  that  gentleman  will  be  obliged  to 
shift  his  position  in  order  to  accommodate  his  visitor. 
The  ignorance  of  the  visitor  is  quite  surprising, 
and  the  questions  asked  are  propounded  in  such  an 
affable,  insinuating  manner,  that  the  good-natured 
cashier,  all  unconscious  of  what  is  transpiring  behind 
him,  will  exert  himself  to  the  utmost  in  order  to  fully 
enlighten  his  gentlemanly  but  decidedly  ignorant 
visitor. 

When  the  cashier  has  been  sufficiently  engaged, 
and  has  been  turned  around  to  the  proper  point  of 
obliquity,  the  "  sneak"  will  stealthily  steal  into  the 
vault,  and  in  a  few  minutes  will  emerge  with  all  the 
available  resources  of  the  bank,  concealed  beneath 
his  coat. 

Not  only  is  the  vault  a  point  of  attack,  but  very  ' 
often  there  are  large  amounts  of  notes  piled  up  on 
tables  or  counters  behind  the  railings  which  surround 
the  cashier  or  clerk,  and  if  these  can  be  safely  taken 


THIEVING.  113 

the  labor  of  the  "  sneak  "  is  made  much  more  easy  and 
more  profitable  than  if  he  is  required  to  enter  the 
vault. 

Now  let  us  suppose  that  the  bank  is  duly  opened 
for  business — the  vault  doors  are  open  and  the  clerks 
are  at  their  desks  ;  that  they  would   not  be  able  to 
see  any  one  who  entered  or  left  the  vault,  and   that 
the  only  way  to  get  behind  the  counter  is   through 
the  room  of  the  president,  which  is  in  the  rear  of  the 
building.     Of  course  the  president  will  of  necessity 
perceive    any    person    who    comes    into    his    room, 
whether  to  engage  him  in   conversation  or  to   pass 
through   into  the  banking   room    in  front.     To    the 
uninitiated  it  would  seem  an  impossible  task  to  pass 
this  watchful   officer  unseen,  but   to  the  professional 
sneak    thieves    it    is    very   easy    of   accomplishment. 
Their  plan   of  operations  to  effect  their  object  is  as 
follows : — Two  of  the  "  stalls  "  will  enter  the  Presi 
dent's  room  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  him  upon 
some  matters  of  financial  import.     If  that  officer  is 
sitting  in  such  a  position  as  to  control  the  entrance 
to  his  rooms,  this   is  all  the  better  for  the  success  of 
the  enterprise.     One  of  the  "  stalls  "  advances  to  the 
desk  of  the  president,  and  announces  the  nature  of 
his  business,  while  the  other  will  quietly  take  a  seat, 
and  draw  from  his  pocket  a  newspaper — and  then 
opening  it  fully,  will  hold  it,  under  the  pretense  of 


ii4  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

reading,    in  such  a  position  as  to  entirely  screen   the 
view  of  the  front  door  of  the  president's  room.     This 
will  enable  the  "sneak"  to  enter  the  room  ;  then  the 
"stall"  will  quietly  change  his  position  so  as  to  cover 
the  doorway    leading    into   the    banking   room,    and 
behind    the   counters.       It  will  be  noticed  that    the 
"  sneak "   is    shielded    by    the    newspaper    from    the 
moment   it   is  opened,  until   it  covers  the  door  which 
leads  to  the   vault.      Once  past   the  door,  he  quickly 
glides  into  the   banking   room.      If   notes  are  handy 
he   takes   these,  but  if  necessary  he  enters  the  vault 
and  loads  himself  with  all  that  is  valuable  within   his 
reach.     When   he   has  completed  his  operation,  the 
same  manipulation  of  the  newspaper  is  gone  through, 
and    again    under    its    complete    cover    the   "  sneak" 
makes  his  escape.      This  whole  operation   does   not 
occupy  more   than   three  or   four  minutes'  time,  and 
this  is  generally  the  longest  period  that  is  required  for 
successful  work.      Once  the  "sneak"  has  taken  his 
departure,  the  interview  with  the  president  is  quickly 
concluded,  and  the  two  "stalls,"  after  politely  thank 
ing  that  officer  for  his  kindness  and   courtesy,  grace 
fully  withdraw. 

Another  very  frequent  and  successful  method,* 
where  the  above  arrangement  cannot  be  safely  carried 
out,  is  for  one  of  the  "  stalls  "  to  procure  a  carriage, 
and  driving  up  to  the  door  of  the  bank,  request  the 


SNEAK     THIE  VI NG.  1 1 5 

president  to  come  out  and  transact  some  business  with 
an  invalid  who  cannot  leave  the  vehicle.  In  such  cases 
the  name  of  the  president  or  cashier  is  first  obtained, 
and  being  addressed  by  his  proper  name  when  the 
request  is  preferred,  the  financial  officer  is  entirely 
unsuspicious  of  danger,  and  energes  from  the  bank  to 
await  the  orders  of  his  invalid  caller.  Clerks  and 
cashiers  have  also  been  called  out  in  this  way,  during 
the  dinner-hour,  when  they  would  be  left  alone  in 
charge  of  the  bank.  Of  course  the  "  sneak "  is  on 
hand,  and  while  the  president  or  cashier  is  engaged 
in  conversation  on  the  sidewalk,  he  quietly  enters  and 
robs  the  bank.  At  other  times  the  "  stall  "will  ap 
proach  a  pigeon-hole  of  one  of  the  desks  in  front  and 
request  to  speak  to  the  president,  who  is  in  his  room 
in  the  rear,  and  that  gentleman,  being  thus  called 
suddenly,  upon  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  will  an 
swer  the  summons  and  thus  leave  the  way  open  for 
the  hiding  sneak. 

Clerks  whose  positions  are  such  as  to  prevent  the 
entrance  of  the  sneak  to  the  vaults  have  very  often 
been  called  by  name  to  some  pigeon-hole  in  the  desk 
opposite  to  him,  and  there  held  long  enough  for 
the  thief  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  The  manner  in 
which  the  "  stalls  "  acquire  the  names  of  the  employees 
of  a  bank  is  at  once  simple  and  unique.  They  pre 
sent  themselves  at  one  of  the  pigeon-holes  at  a  dis- 


1 1 6  SNEAK     THTE  VI NG. 

tance  from  the  clerk  whom  they  desire  to  call,  and 
pointing  out  the  individual  desired,  inquire : 

"  What  is  the  name  of  that  young  gentleman  op 
posite?    He  looks  very    much  like  an  old  friend  of 


mine." 


The  clerk  thus  questioned,  without  bestowing 
any  thought  upon  the  matter,  will  at  once  convey  the 
desired  information,  upon  which  the  "  stall ."  ac 
knowledges  his  error,  and  craving  pardon  for  troubling 
him,  withdraws  at  once.  The  information  thus  ac 
quired  is  conveyed  to  another  stall,  and  shortly  after 
ward  this  confederate  enters,  and  going  directly  up  to 
the  further  pigeon-hole,  calls  the  name  of  the  clerk 
in  a  very  decided  tone  of  interest  and  acquaintance. 

It  is  the  first  and  governing  principle  of  the 
"  sneak,"  not  to  allow  himself  to  be  seen  by  any  one, 
for  if  any  employee  of  the  bank  has  noticed  his  pres 
ence,  he  will  naturally  feel  uneasy  and  suspicious  be 
cause  he  is  aware  of  the  fact  that  there  is  a  strange 
man  in  such  a  part  of  the  building,  and  his  move 
ments  cannot  be  watched.  To  overcome  this  dif 
ficulty  therefore  the  "sneak"  enters  the  bank  first 
and  endeavors  to  get  a  good  position  where  he  will 
not  be  noticed — and  then  he  will  sit  or  stand  ap 
parently  engaged  in  some  intricate  financial  problem 
with  paper  and  pencil.  Sometimes  he  enters  the 
president's  room,  which  may  be  empty  at  the  time— 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  117 

and  if  discovered  before  his  confederates  enter,  he 
will  excuse  himself  by  saying  that  he  is  either  waiting 
to  see  the  president,  or  is  expecting  his  mother  or 
sister  to  come  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  deposit  of 
money,  or  to  invest  in  some  securities  for  which  the 
bank  is  an  agent.  At  other  times  he  will  enter  the 
President's  room  with  one  of  the  "  stalls,"  and  then 
trust  to  the  adroitness  of  his  companion,  in  engaging 
the  attention  of  the  president,  long  enough  for  him 
to  get  into  the  vault  quietly,  get  what  is  convenient 
to  his  hands,  and  return  without  his  absence  bring 
noticed. 

At  other  times,  particularly  in  a  country  bank, 
where  there  is  but  one  man  in  charge  of  the  bank  at 
noon-time,  and  the  position  of  this  man  is  such  that 
he  can  see  any  person  who  may  enter,  the  two 
"stalls  "  will  enter  the  bank,  and  while  one  of  them 
is  engaging  the  clerk  by  changing  a  large  note,  or 
in  answering  some  question  of  a  financial  nature,  the 
other  will  hold  up  a  newspaper,  and  under  the  cover 
of  this  the  "  sneak  "  will  make  his  entrance,  and  walk 
ing  quietly  as  far  as  the  counter,  crouch  down  in  a 
stooping  position,  and  thus  sneak  towards  his  work, 
without  his  presence  being  known  or  even  suspected. 

The  above  modes  of  operation  are  among  those 
most  frequently  used  by  the  sneak  thieves  in  robbing 
banks  whose  vaults,  and  the  doors  to  their  money 


n8  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

departments  are  opened  during  the  day.  There  are 
also  many  thieves  who  will  gain  access  into  vaults 
and  behind  doors,  when  what  are  known  as  "sneak" 
or  "  day  doors  "  are  placed  on  the  vaults  and  kept 
locked  during  the  day.  The  entrances  to  the  interi 
or  of  the  bank — that  is,  that  portion  of  the  building 
reserved  for  the  clerks — are  frequently  supplied  with 
doors  which  are  always  locked  ;  and  every  clerk  and 
messenger  who  passes  through  this  doorway  is  re 
quired  to  unlock  this  door  before  he  can  be  admitted. 
In  such  cases  all  the  employees  are  provided  with  keys 
that  will  unlock  this  door,  or  there  is  a  spring  latch 
upon  it  which  can  be  worked  from  either  side.  The 
"sneak,"  under  such  circumstances,  will  place  himself 
near  to  this  door  and  wait  until  some  one  comes,  who 
unlocks  the  door  to  obtain  an  entrance.  As  a  rule 
the  locks  on  this  door  are  spring  locks,  and  as  soon 
as  the  clerk  has  passed  in  he  will  shut  the  door  vio 
lently  behind  him,  which  will  insure  its  locking  with 
out  further  attention  on  his  part.  But  the  sneak 
thief  is  there,  and  as  the  door  bangs  to,  he  inserts 
a  wallet  or  a  wedge  of  wood  between  the  frame 
and  the  door,  and  this  prevents  its  locking.  To 
enter  through  this  door  is  the  work  of  a  moment, 
and  with  the  " stalls"  at  work  in  front  the  rest  of 
the  story  is  soon  told,  and  in  a  few  moments  he 


SNEAK     THIE  VI NG.  1 1 9 

emerges  again  with  his  booty  concealed    about    his 
person,  and  no  one  suspicious  of  his  presence. 

The  "  stalls  "  have  numerous  expedients  to  resort 
to,  all  of  which  answer  admirably  the  purpose  for 
which  they  are  designed.  Sometimes  they  will  enter 
the  bank  and  engage  the  teller  or  cashier  in  the 
purchase  of  a  draft  for  a  certain  amount,  then  hand 
over  the  money,  part  of  which  is  in  small  bills.  Upon 
being  counted,  the  amount  will  be  found  to  be  short 
three  or  four  dollars,  and  this  will  give  occasion  for 
an  argument  and  a  re-count  in  order  to  discover  the 
missing  money,  and  while  this  is  being  done,  the  ob 
ject  is  accomplished,  and  the  robbery  is  effected. 
Again,  at  times  a  government  bond  is  purchased,  or 
gold  is  asked  for  paper  money,  or  change  will  be  re 
quested  for  a  large  note  by  a  man  who  has  one  of 
his  hands  in  a  bandage,  who  will  request  the  cashier 
or  clerk  to  place  the  money  for  him  in  the  inside 
pocket  of  his  coat  and  then  to  button  the  coat 
over  the  concealed  money  ;  all  these  things  occupy 
time,  and  attract  the  attention  of  the  bank  officer — 
both  of  which  are  valuable  to  the  "sneak"  who  is  in 
tent  upon  securing  the  funds  of  the  bank,  and  in 
which  he  is  generally  successful. 

Sometimes  the  thieves  notice  a  pile  of  money  on 
the  counter  of  the  receiving  or  paying  teller  and  close 
to  the  pigeon  hole  through  which  those  officers  trans- 


120  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

act  their  business.  The  toiler  is  generally  stationed 
directly  behind  this  pigeon  hole,  so  that  there  is  no 
chance  for  the  thieves  to  get  the  money  without 
being  seen.  The  main  object  to  be  achieved  therefore 
is  to  get  the  teller  away  from  that  pigeon  hole,  if  only 
for  a  moment.  To  call  the  teller  outside  to  a  carriage 
would  simply  cause  him  to  lock  the  wicket  at  the 
pigeon  hole  and  thus  spoil  the  chances  of  robbery 
completely  ;  to  call  him  away  to  any  distance  would 
also  result  in  the  same  thing.  Now  enters  the  stall 
with  his  suavity  and  ingenuity.  We  will  assume  that 
the  money  is  near  the  receiving  teller's  window  and 
that  no  one  is  near  either  the  window  of  the  paying 
or  receiving  tellers.  The  "  stall  "  will  take  from  his 
pocket  a  genuine  ten  or  twenty  dollar  United  States 
note  and,  stepping  to  the  window  of  the  paying  teller, 
address  that  official  about  as  follows  : 

"  I  have  just  been  over  to  the  U.  S.  Treasury, 
and  they  told  me  that  this  note  is  a  counterfeit — and 
it  being  such  a  good  genuine-looking  note,  I  thought 
I  would  just  step  in  and  let  you  and  the  receiving 
teller  take  a  good  look  at  it."  The  paying  teller  takes 
the  note,  and  surprised  at  the  genuineness  of  its 
appearance,  calls  the  receiving  teller  over  to  examine  it. 

As  the  receiving  teller  leaves  his  position,  the 
"sneak,"  who  has  been  preparing  himself  by  purchas 
ing  a  soap  box  at  some  neighboring  grocery,  now 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  121 

proceeds  to  perform  his  duty.  The  "sneak/1  who 
has  wrapped  the  box  in  newspapers,  has  been  standing 
at  a  desk  outside,  busily  engaged  in  counting  some 
money.  No  sooner,  however,  has  the  paying  teller 
answered  the  call  of  his  associate,  than  the  "sneak" 
noiselessly  carries  the  box  to  the  counter,  and  setting 
it  on  the  floor,  leaps  upon  it  and  in  a  twinkling  has 
taken  all  the  money  within  his  reach  which  he  can 
readily  grasp.  Stepping  down  as  quickly,  he  walks 
out  of  the  door  carrying  his  box  along  witji  him.  He 
does  this  in  order  to  leave  nothing  behind  him  which 
would  give  a  clue  to  the  officers,  who  would  seek  out 
the  grocer  who  sold  the  box,  and  thus  obtain  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  individual  who  purchased  it. 

Sometimes  the  money  is  placed  a  short  distance 
from  the  window,  too  far  away  to  be  reached  by  the 
hand,  and  in  that  case  a  cane  and  sometimes  two 
joined  together  with  a  screw,  with  an  iron  hook  at 
the  end,  is  used.  It  is  astonishing  how  successfully 
the  thieves  have  worked  an  operation  of  this  kind, 
and  frequently  hours  have  elapsed  before  the  loss  is 
discovered,  and  then  too  late  to  determine  how  the 
money  disappeared  or  by  whom  it  was  taken. 

The  above  recitals  detail  fully  the  operations  of 
sneak  thieves  upon  the  vaults  and  money  of  banking 
institutions,  and  we. will  now  consider  their  modes  of 
operating  upon  individuals, 

6 


122  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

Gentlemen  who  transact  business  with  banks, 
safe  deposit  companies  and  other  financial  institu 
tions  of  the  country  are  especial  object  of  attack  from 
the  sneak  thieves.  The  manner  in  which  this  frater 
nity  operate  upon  a  gentleman,  who  is  either  making 
a  deposit  or  drawing  a  check  at  a  bank,  is  at  once 
simple  and  generally  successful,  and  many  sharp 
business  men,  who  have  deemed  themselves  proof 
against  the  advances  of  the  wary  thief,  have  been 
robbed  of  large  sums  of  money  by  a  process  which 
would  seem  to  be  almost  impracticable. 

In  the  thieves'  parlance  this  operation  is  termed 
a  "  turn  trick,"  and  consists  in  the  clever  act  of  turn 
ing  a  man  away  from  his  money,  in  order  to  enable 
the  thief  to  make  off  with  it. 

To  illustrate  :  a  man  receives  a  check  for  a  cer 
tain  sum  of  money,  and  for  the  purpose  of  receiving 
notes  for  the  oblong  piece  of  writing  which  represents 
the  amount  to  which  he  is  entitled,  he  goes  to  the 
bank,  and  presenting  his  check  to  the  teller,  requests 
the  money.  The  obliging  official  Counts  out  the 
required  number  of  notes  to  satisfy  the  claim  of  the 
gentleman,  and  politely  hands  them  over  to  the  wait 
ing  claimant.  It  is  but  natural  that  the  receiver  of 
the  money  should  re-count  it,  in  order  to  be  assured 
that  no  mistake  has  been  made,  and  that  he  has 
received  all  that  he  was  entitled  to.  In  all  well 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  123 

regulated  banks,  desks  are  provided  for  this  purpose, 
and  the  gentleman  carries  his  money  over  to  the  desk 
and  proceeds  to  verify  the  count  of  the  bank  officer. 
Of  course  the  thieves  have  watched  this  transaction 
very  carefully,  and  when  the  gentleman  lays  his  money 
upon  the  desk,  they  are  prepared  for  action.  We  will 
assume  that  the  gentleman  has  received  five  thousand 
dollars  in  ten  dollar  bills,  and  that  they  are  in  pack 
ages  of  five  hundred  dollars  each.  Placing  the  money 
in  front  of  him,  he  takes  one  of  the  packages  in  his 
hand  and  proceeds  to  count.  This  is  the  thieves' 
opportunity.  The  "sneak  "  immediately  takes  his 
position  behind  the  man,  and  in  such  a  manner  that 
he  will  not  be  seen  on  either  side,  the  "  stall  "  then 
appears,  and  dropping  a  ten  dollar  bill  upon  the  floor 
on  the  opposite  side  from  where  the  money  is  lying, 
and  about  three  feet  in  the  rear  of  the  man  at  the 
desk,  politely  touches  the  man  upon  the  shoulder 
and  inquires  :  "  Is  that  money  yours,  sir  ?"  and  then 
walks  away.  The  man  will  instinctively  turn  round, 
and  seeing  the  note  upon  the  floor,  with  no  one  near 
to  claim  it,  and  impressed  with  the  fact  that  he  must 
have  dropped  it,  will  stoop  to  pick  it  up.  As  he 
turns  around,  the  sneak  who  has  been  carefully 
watching  his  movements  steps  toward  the  money, 
and  as  the  gentleman  stoops,  he  raises  about  three- 
fourths  of  the  pile  of  money,  and  at  once  makes  his 


124  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

way  rapidly  out  of  the  bank.  He  does  not  take  all 
of  the  money,  for  the  reason  that  if  the  man  was  to 
notice  the  entire  disappearance  of  his  funds,  he  would 
immediately  rush  for  the  door  and  seize  the  first  man 
going  out.  If,  however,  he  finds  part  of  his  money 
remaining,  he  may  not  at  first  glance  notice  any 
diminution  of  it,  or  if  he  does,  he  will  naturally  desire 
to  see  how  much  is  gone,  and  that  second  look  has 
occupied  time  enough  to  permit  the  thief  to  gain  the 
street,  and  he  is  out  of  sight  in  a  second. 

The  dropping  of  a  bill  is  not  the  only  means  re 
sorted  to  by  the  "  stall,"  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  man  to  be  robbed.  Sometimes  he  will  have  a 
check  drawn  upon  another  bank  ;  he  will  then  ap 
proach  the  individual  who  is  counting  his  money,  and 
holding  out  the  check,  will  inquire  in  the  blandest 
tones : 

11  Can  you  tell  me  where  I  will  go  to  find  this 
bank  ?" 

The  gentleman  thus  addressed  will  naturally  turn 
to  see  upon  what  bank  the  check  is  drawn,  and  as  he 
does  so,  the  "  stall  "  will  step-  back  a  short  distance, 
which  will  require  the  man  to  turn  almost  completely 
around  in  order  to  read  the  check,  and  while  he  is 
doing  this,  the  "sneak  "  makes  off  with  bis  money. 

Another  method  is  to  suddenly  accost  a  man  who 
is  counting  money,  with  the  inquiry  as  to  which 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  125 

pigeon  hole  he  will  have  to  call  at,  in  order  to  obtain 
a  draft,  thus  causing  the  man  to  turn  around  in 
order  to  point  out  the  particular  window  at  which 
the  inquirer  is  to  call.  Some  men,  out  of  a  pure 
desire  to  be  of  service  to  their  fellows,  have  been 
known,  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  to  leave  their 
money,  and  walk  partly  across  the  banking-room  in 
order  to  point  out  the  exact  window  to  the  doubtful 
inquirer.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  this  evidence  of 
politeness  is  sadly  repaid  by  the  thieves,  and  that 
upon  his  return,  he  finds,  to  his  dismay,  that  his 
money  has  entirely  disappeared. 

The  next  individuals  who  receive  the  attentions  of 
the  sneak  thieves  are  the  depositors  at  a  bank,  and  in 
many  cases  they  have  been  successful  in  robbing  a 
man  in  full  view  of  half  a  dozen  waiting  depositors 
without  any  one  perceiving  the  transaction.  The 
manner  in  which  this  is  done  is  generally  as  follows  : 
A  depositor  on  entering  a  bank  will  remove  his  bank 
book  from  his  pocket,  and  take  his  place  in  the  line 
of  waiting  depositors.  At  a  number  of  banking  in 
stitutions  the  receiving-teller,  after  receiving  each  de 
posit  makes  an  entry  in  his  book  kept  for  the  pur 
pose,  and  which  is  generally  near  his  elbow,  on  the 
desk.  And  this  entry  is  frequently  made  after  he  has 
returned  the  bank-book  to  the  depositor  whose 
money  he  has  taken.  As  soon  as  a  depositor  re- 


126  SNEAK     THIEVING 

ceives  his  book  from  the  teller,  he  withdraws  from 
the  window  and  makes  way  for  the  gentleman  behind 
him,  who  immediately  steps  forward  and  places  his 
book  in  the  pigeon  hole,  awaiting  his  turn  to  be  at 
tended  to. 

This  is  what  the  "sneak"  has  been  waiting  for, 
and  should  the  teller  pause  before  taking  the  book  of 
the  new-comer,  to  make  some  entry  into  his  own 
book,  he  attempts  a  robbery.  The  ''stall"  drops  a 
bill  on  the  floor  and  calls  the  gentleman's  attention 
to  it,  and  as  he  stoops  to  pick  it  up,  the  "sneak" 
steps  up  and  in  a  flash  makes  off  with  the  book  which 
is  lying  in  the  pigeon  hole,  and  with  its  entire  con 
tents.  The  depositor,  turning  back  to  where  he  left 
book  and  money,  will  naturally  come  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  the  receiving-teller  has  the  book,  and  no  ex 
posure  is  made  until  the  teller  requests  the  book  of 
the  surprised  depositor.  This  style  of  robbery  when 
cleverly  executed  has  caused  many  a  quarrel  between 
depositors  and  receiving  tellers — for  as  soon  as  the 
teller  has  finished  his  entry  in  his  own  book,  he  will 
reach  up  for  that  of  the  next  depositor,  and  not  see 
ing  it,  will  request  that  gentleman  to  hand  it  to  him. 
The  depositor  will  insist  upon  having  passed  it  over, 
and  the  teller  upon  not  having  received  it,  and  the 
controversy  waxes  warm  in  consequence.  Meanwhile 
the  thieves  have  made  good  their  escape,  and  are 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  127 

probably  regaling  themselves  upon  the  proceeds  of 
their  dishonesty. 

There  have  also  been  many  instances  where 
young  men,  having  been  sent  to  the  bank  for  money, 
and  having  received  it  in  notes,  not  in  packages,  have 
been  "turned  "by  a  bill  on  the  floor,  and  the  thief 
has  stolen  the  larger  portion  of  the  money  already 
counted ;  the  young  man  returned  to  his  counting,  and 
remembering  the  amount  at  which  he  stopped,  has 
kept  right  on  from  the  uncounted  pile  before  him, 
and,  finding  the  total  correct,  placed  the  money  in  his 
pocket,  and  returned  to  his  place  of  business. 

When  the  employer,  however,  attempts  to  verify 
the  account,  he  finds  a  very  large  shortage  in  the 
amount.  The  young  man  is  positive  that  he  counted 
the  money  correctly,  and  is  certain  that  he  could  not 
have  been  robbed,  as  he  kept  his  hand  upon  the 
money  all  the  way  from  the  bank.  The  young  man, 
however,  has  forgotten  the  note  he  found  upon  the 
floor.  The  employer  revolves  the  matter  in  his  mind, 
becomes  suspicious,  and  sometimes  he  has  the  young 
man  arrested,  hoping  thereby  to  induce  him  to  make 
a  full  confession,  and  restore  the  money  of  the  steal 
ing  of  which  he  is  entirely  innocent. 

Another  phase  of  sneak  thieving  is  in  the  bank, 
when  the  gentleman  who  receives  the  money  upon  a 
check,  requests  the  obliging  teller  to  wrap  the  amount 


128  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

up  in  a  parcel  for  him.  The  teller  complies  with  the 
request,  and  makes  the  usual  neat  package  wrapped  in 
brown  paper.  The  "  sneak/'  who  has  been  watching 
every  movement,  and  is  fully  prepared  for  an  emer 
gency  like  this,  draws  from  his  pocket  a  piece  of 
wrapping  paper  of  exactly  the  same  color,  and  with 
the  aid  of  a  few  old  newspapers,  soon  constructs  a 
package  precisely  similar  to  the  one  handed  by  the 
teller  to  the  gentleman  at  the  window.  Should  this 
gentleman  by  any  accident,  or  for  any  purpose,  set 
this  package  down  for  a  single  moment,  the  watchful 
"  stall  "  and  "  sneak"  are  upon  him,  and  ere  one  can 
realize  it,  the  victim  has  been  successfully  "  turned," 
and  the  "sneak"  has  replaced  the  bundle  of  money 
by  the  package  of  newspapers,  and  decamped.  The 
reason  for  the  substitution  of  a  similar  package  is 
quite  plain  ;  for  should  the  man  miss  the  package, 
and  find  it  entirely  gone,  he  would  immediately  cause 
the  arrest  of  both  the  thieves  before  they  could  get 
away;  but  by  the  means  of  a  "dummy"  package, 
men  have  been  known  to  carry  the  valueless  bundles 
of  waste  paper  for  miles,  and  never  discover  their  mis 
take  until  reaching  their  destination. 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  129 


SAFE  DEPOSIT  COMPANIES. 

ANOTHER  prolific  source  of  profit  to  the  sneak 
thieves,  but  rather  more  delicate  and  difficult 
of  accomplishment  than  those  recited  above,  is  the 
robbery  of  individuals  whose  valuable  securities  are 
deposited  in  the  vaults  of  those  estimable  and  respon 
sible  institutions  known  as  "  Safe  Deposit  Com 
panies."  In  all  the  large  cities  there  exists  one  or 
more  of  these  substantial  edifices  whose  strong  vaults 
are  carefully  guarded,  and  where  the  man  of  means 
may  securely  place  his  valuable  papers  and  securities 
for  a  nominal  sum.  The  value  of  these  institutions 
to  people  of  wealth  cannot  be  over-estimated,  and 
the  security  they  afford  is  well  worth  the  small  sum 
which  is  annually  charged  for  the  use  of  their  vaults. 
The  vaults  of  these  institutions  are  filled  with 
innumerable  compartments  or  small  safes  in  which 
the  individuals  deposit  their  securities,  and  each 
depositor  is  furnished  with  a  key  which  will  unlock 
the  particular  safe  which  has  been  assigned  to  his  use. 
One  or  more  sturdy  and  reliable  officers  are  con 
stantly  on  duty  in  these  vaults,  and  as  the  deposi 
tors  make  frequent  visits  to  their  strong  boxes  these 
athletic  guardians  soon  become  familiar  with  the 


130  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

faces  of  their  customers.  Every  safeguard  is  thrown 
around  the  property  entrusted  to  the  keeping  of  these 
Safe  Deposit  Companies,  and  it  would  seem  almost 
an  impossibility  for  any  dishonest  person  to  obtain 
admission  to  their  vaults,  and  far  more  incredible 
that  they  should  succeed  in  their  efforts  of  robbery. 

Yet  notwithstanding  the  many  precautions  that 
have  been  taken,  the  crafty  thieves  have  not  only 
obtained  access  to  these  vaults,  but  in  several 
instances  they  have  succeeded  in  robbing  unsuspect 
ing  depositors  in  a  manner,  which  was  both  simple 
and  reckless  in  the  extreme.  It  is  therefore  a  warn 
ing  to  both  the  companies  and  their  depositors,  that 
the  following  expose  of  the  movements  of  the  sneak 
thieves  is  made. 

In  all  these  large  institutions  a  room  furnished 
with  a  number  of  small  individual  desks  is  set  apart 
for  the  use  and  accommodation  of  their  patrons,  and 
the  depositor,  after  receiving  his  strong  box  from  the 
vaults,  can  take  his  treasures  to  one  of  these  desks 
and  there  cut  off  his  coupons  or  extract  such  securi 
ties  as  he  may  need  for  immediate  use. 

In  order  to  reach  this  room,  a  depositor  must 
pass  an  officer  who  is  stationed  at  the  gate  leading  to 
this  apartment,  and  who  will  not  permit  any  one  to 
enter  with  whom  he  is  unacquainted  or  with  whose 
face  he  is  unfamiliar.  It  would  seem  to  be  there- 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  131 

fore,  a  most  difficult  task  for  the  thief  or  thieves 
to  obtain  an  entrance  into  these  apartments,  and 
it  would  appear  as  an  act  of  foolhardy  daring  for 
my  dishonest  person  to  make  the  attempt.  Such 
tdmissions,  however,  have  been  gained,  and,  I  regret 
*o  say,  successful  robberies  have  been  perpetrated 
within  the  closely  guarded  walls  of  these  very  cham 
bers. 

Among  the  large  number  of  depositors  of  these 
institutions,  there  are  many  whose  visits  to  the  vaults 
are  not  very  frequent,  and  sometimes  two,  or  perhaps 
three  months  may  elapse  between  their  visits ;  as  a 
consequence  of  this,  the.  gate-keeper  is  sometimes 
unable  to  recall  his  face  immediately,  and  deeming  it 
impossible  that  anyone  not  fully  entitled  to  enter, 
should  present  himself,  he  simply  asks  the  applicant 
if  he  is  a  depositor,  and  being  answered  in  a  confident 
affirmative,  he  allows  him  to  enter  without  further 
questioning.  This  is  particularly  apt  to  be  the  case 
if  he  has  recently  stopped  a  depositor,  who  was  deter 
mined  to  satisfy  him  of  his  right  to  enter.  The  offi 
cer  has  a  certain  amount  of  pride  in  his  ability  to 
remember  faces,  and  rather  than  confess  his  ignorance, 
will  sometimes  allow  individuals  to  pass  him  without 
opposition.  The  "  sneak"  knows  this,  and  sometimes 
will  put  himself  in  the  way  of  the  officer  so  as  to  be 
seen  by  him,  but  without  attempting  to  enter,  and 


132  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

apparently  engaged  in   business  with    the   company 
of  another  nature. 

About  the  time,  however,  that  coupons  are  be 
coming  due,  and  the  number  of  visitors  is  consider 
ably  increased,  the  "  sneak,"  accompanied  by  a  "  stall," 
will  present  himself  at  the  gate,  and  in  a  matter  of 
fact  manner  will  request  admission.  In  his  hand  he 
carries  a  number  of  huge  formidable  looking  envel 
opes  of  various  colors,  and  he  greets  the  gace-keeper 
with  an  affable  nod  and  a  smile  of  recognition,  that  at 
once  disarms  suspicion,  and  without  the  slightest  dif 
ficulty  he  is  admitted  to  the  room  reserved  for  the 
accommodation  of  depositors.  The  "  sneak "  and 
"  stall,"  once  inside  of  the  room,  proceed  immediately 
to  an  unoccupied  desk,  and  spreading  their  papers 
out,  indulge  in  an  earnest  conversation,  apparently 
upon  some  matters  of  business.  Sometimes  they  will 
be  engaged  in  looking  over  and  assorting  some  papers. 
This  is  continued  until  they  notice  one  of  the  regular 
depositors  with  his  tin  box  open  before  him,  perhaps 
engaged  in  cutting  the  coupons  from  some  of  the 
securities  which  the  box  contains.  Carefully  watch 
ing  this  gentleman,  they  will  ascertain  whether  the 
securities  he  is  handling  are  of  a  negotiable  charac 
ter — particularly  if  they  are  Government  bonds, 
which  are  great  favorites  with  the  thieving  fraternity. 
Satisfying  themselves  upon  this  point  they  will  ap- 


SN£AK    THIEVING.  133 

proach  him,  the  "  stall "  upon  some  ingenious  pretext 
will  then  attract  his  attention  or  "  turn  "  him  away 
from  his  box,  and  while  this  is  being  done  the  sneak 
reaches  over  and  quietly  secures  a  package  or  two 
from  the  box  and  quickly  starts  for  the  door.  If  the 
victim  has  already  examined  the  package  taken,  he 
may  close  his  box  and  return  it  to  the  vault  without 
noticing  his  loss.  Should  this  be  the  case,  his  sur 
prise  when  next  he  has  occasion  to  use  these  bonds 
may  be  better  imagined  than  described.  On  discover 
ing  his  loss  at  this  late  day,  it  will  be  impossible  for 
him  to  remember  the  trifling  circumstance  of  a 
stranger  asking  him  a  question  several  months  before, 
and  the  result  is  that  he  will  fall  back  upon  the  bank, 
and  will  be  ready  to  swear  that  his  box  has  been 
robbed  since  he  used  it  the  last  time,  and  he  will  be 
absolutely  positive  that  the  bonds  were  in  the  box 
when  he  last  put  it  away.  Safe  Deposit  Companies 
have  been  known  to  cover  such  losses,  rather  than  suf 
fer  the  publicity  and  injury  that  would  follow  an  al 
legation  that  their  vaults  were  unsafe  or  that  boxes 
intrusted  to  their  keeping  had  been  tampered  with  by 
dishonest  persons. 

In  some  cases,  in  order  to  avoid  danger  and  loss 
in  this  manner,  the  companies  have  arranged  small 
private  apartments  in  their  buildings,  where  a  deposi 
tor  can  be  perfectly  alone,  and  can  lock  himself  in 


134  SNEAK     THIEVTNG. 

while  engaged  in  handling  his  valuable  property,  or 
in  detaching  the  coupons  from  his  securities. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  the  utmost 
care  is  necessary  to  be  observed  by  a  person  who 
avails  himself  of  the  conveniences  of  a  Safe  Deposit 
Company — and  by  instantly  suspecting  any  one  who 
approaches  them  while  engaged  with  their  strong 
boxes,  losses  may  be  prevented  and  a  successful  rob 
bery  completely  frustrated. 

In  appearance  the  sneak  mob  resemble  a  party  of 
respectable  business  men,  and  their  manner  of  con 
ducting  themselves  fully  tends  to  confirm  a  belief  in 
their  respectability.  They  are  always  well  dressed, 
but  plainly  and  neatly  so,  and  they  never  wear  loud 
or  decided  colors  or  a  profusion  of  jewelry.  Never, 
if  they  can  avoid  it,  do  they  come  together  while 
they  are  engaged  at  work — and  this  is  done  in 
order  that  in  case  of  any  accident  or  the  arrest  of  any 
one  of  the  party,  no  connection  will  be  discovered 
between  him  and  his  companions,  which  would  lead 
to  their  arrest  as  associates.  While  working  in  the 
banks  they  assume  an  air  of  business  activity,  and 
either  carry  in  their  hands,  bundles  of  papers  and 
envelopes,  or  a  small  number  of  notes  which  they  are 
apparently  engaged  in  counting.  While  engaged  in 
conversation  with  any  person  upon  whom  they  are 
operating,  should  they  notice  that  the  party  is  suspi- 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  135 

cious  or  afraid  of  them,  they  upon  the  presentation  of 
the  first  opportunity  bow  to  the  first  fine-looking  busi 
ness  man  who  may  be  near  to  them.  The  gentleman 
thus  addressed  will  naturally  return  the  bow  from  the 
mere  impulse  of  politeness,  and  the  party  who  may 
be  watching  the  thief  will  thus  be  thrown  completely 
off  his  guard — thinking  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  if 
he  is  on  such  well-defined  speaking  terms  with  Mr. 
Money-bags  or  Mr.  Good-credit — he  must,  of  neces 
sity,  be  above  suspicion  himself. 

As  a  rule,  the  members  of  a  "sneak  mob  "  room  in 
first-class  hotels,  and  always  in  separate  apartments. 
They  invariably  travel  first-class,  though  they  never 
appear  to  be  flush  of  money  nor  act  in  any  manner 
that  will  attract  undue  attention. 

The  above  covers  the  general  operations  of  the 
sneak  thief,  and  his  companions  or  stalls.  A  business 
man  in  his  communications  with  banks  and  bankers, 
should  always  be  upon  his  guard,  and  ever  alert 
to  the  advances  of  those  well-dressed  sneaks  whose 
general  appearance  and  genuine  air  of  business  men 
are  well  calculated  to  deceive  even  the  most  careful. 
Do  not  stop  to  pick  up  notes  that  may  be  found  upon 
the  floor  of  a  banking  house,  and  never  suffer  your 
eyes  to  lose  their  vigilant  watch  upon  the  money  you 
may  be  engaged  in  counting.  If  these  instructions 


136  SNEAK    THIEVING. 

are  remembered  and  followed,  the  sneak  thief  will  soon 
find  his  gains  decreasing  and  his  occupation  gone. 


To  illustrate  more  particularly  the  practical  modes 
of  operation  by  this  class  of  criminals,  in  another 
direction,  I  will  relate  the  incidents  of  a  daring  and 
successful  robbery,  by  sneak  thieves,  which  took  place 
in  the  city  of  New  York  during  the  month  of  January, 
1878,  an  account  of  which  may  prove  interesting. 

Mr.  James  H.  Bloodgood  was  a  large  and  exten 
sive  dealer  in  stocks,  bonds  and  real  estate,  and  in 
addition  to  this,  was  intrusted  with  the  charge  and 
management  of  numerous  estates  of  wealthy  decedents. 
His  office  was  in  one  of  the  most  active  and  bustling 
business  portions  of  the  city,  within  easy  distance  of 
the  various  exchanges  and  banks,  and  in  a  building 
occupied  by  a  number  of  prominent  men  and  business 
firms  engaged  in  monetary  transactions  on  a  large 
scale.  The  interior  of  his  office  was  furnished  in  a 
luxurious  and  expensive  manner,  with  walnut  furni 
ture,  velvet  carpets  and  a  general  tastefulness  of 
arrangement  that  gave  evidence  of  both  wealth  and 
refinement.  Two  large  and  handsome  burglar-proof 
safes,  of  the  most  recent  invention,  occupied  positions 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  137 

in  this  office  and  contained  many  articles  of  commer 
cial  value  and  financial  worth. 

On  the  day  on  which  the  robbery  occurred,  Mr. 
Bloodgood  and  his  confidential  clerk  were  both  busily 
engaged  at  their  respective  duties.  The  elder  gentle 
man  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  the  Safe 
Deposit  Company,  and  had  withdrawn  about  $60,000 
worth  of  State  bonds  for  the  purpose  of  removing  the 
coupons  and  collecting  the  interest  which  was  then 
due.  While  he  was  thus  engaged  in  detaching  these 
coupons,  a  stranger  entered  the  office  and  requested 
permission  to  consult  a  directory  of  the  city,  in  order 
to  ascertain  the  address  of  a  gentleman  whom  he  was 
desirous  of  finding.  Mr.  Bloodgood  politely  handed 
him  the  book,  and  after  an  examination  of  a  few  min 
utes,  the  stranger  expressed  his  thanks  and  withdrew. 

Shortly  after  this  episode,  the  clerk  was  des 
patched  upon  some  errand,  and  during  his  absence 
another  strange  visitor  came  into  the  office,  and 
inquired  the  value  of  a  piece  of  property,  which  had 
been  advertised  for  sale  by  Mr.  Bloodgood.  While 
this  man  was  engaging  Mr.  Bloodgood  in  conversation 
regarding  the  merits  of  the  property  in  question,  that 
gentleman  noticed  that  another  person  had  entered 
the  office,  whose  movements  appeared  to  be  suspicious. 

The  State  bonds  were  at  that  time  lying  exposed 
upon  a  desk  in  the  front  part  of  the  room,  and  Mr. 


138  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

Bloodgood,  imagining  danger,  gazed  scrutinizingly  at 
the  new-comer,  who,  seeing  that  his  movements  were 
observed,  stood  still,  apparently  unconscious  of  the 
suspicions  he  had  awakened.  After  a  prolonged  con 
versation  about  the  terms  of  the  sale  of  the  property, 
the  two  strangers  left  together,  and  Mr.  Bloodgood, 
finding  that  they  were  companions,  thought  no  more 
of  the  singular  actions  of  his  visitor.  The  clerk 
returned  soon  after  this,  and  Mr.  Bloodgood  then  left 
his  office  to  procure  his  lunch  without  mentioning  the 
matter  to  the  young  man. 

Within  a  few  minutes  after  the  departure  of  Mr. 
Bloodgood,  a  gentleman,  whom  the  clerk  instantly 
recognized  as  the  individual  who  had  previously  in 
quired  for  the  directory,  came  in  and  informed  the 
young  man  that  there  was  a  lame  gentleman  in  a  car 
riage  in  front  of  the  building  who  was  desirous  of  see 
ing  Mr.  Bloodgood.  After  questioning  the  man,  and 
learning  from  him  that  the  business  of  the  crippled 
caller  was  urgent,  and  that  he  was  in  a  hurry,  the 
clerk  stated  that  he  would  go  down  and  attend  to  his 
wants.  He  turned  to  get  his  hat  from  where  it  was 
hanging  upon  the  wall,  and  as  he  did  so  the  man  went 
out  through  the  door  and  disappeared.  The  clerk 
closed  and  locked  the  door  of  the  office  after  him,  and 
descended  to  the  street,  where  he  found  a  pale-faced 
gentleman  in  a  carriage,  who  appeared  to  recognize 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  139 

him,  and  called  to  him  to  approach  the  window  of  the 
vehicle  in  which  he  was  seated.  The  stranger  ex 
plained  that  he  desired  to  make  a  purchase  of  another 
piece  of  property  owned  by  Mr.  Bloodgood,  and  as 
he  appeared  to  be  perfectly  posted  as  to  its  location, 
size  and  marketable  value,  the  clerk  suspected  noth 
ing,  and  their  colloquy  was  quite  prolonged.  Finally, 
the  invalid,  having  concluded  all  the  arrangements  that 
were  considered  necessary  at  that  time,  requested  the 
clerk  to  mention  the  matter  fully  to  Mr.  Bloodgood 
when  he  returned,  and  then,  putting  his  head  out  of 
the  window,  he  directed  the  coachman  to  drive  on. 

As  the  clerk  returned  to  his  office  he  met  the  man 
who  had  conveyed  the  message  to  him  coming  down 
the  stairs,  but,  thinking  nothing  of  this,  he  continued 
his  ascent,  and  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  office.  Here 
he  was  confronted  with  a  scene  of  confusion  which  at 
once  filled  him  with  alarm.  The  door  of  the  office 
had  been  forcibly  broken ;  the  doors  of  the  safes, 
which  were  always  unlocked  during  the  day,  were 
standing  wide  open,  and  their  contents  scattered 
promiscuously  about  the  floor.  Hastily  entering  the 
room  he  discovered,  to  his  further  dismay,  that  the 
$60,000  worth  of  bonds  were  missing,  and  that  the 
safes  had  been  rifled  of  their  valuable  contents.  In 
stantly  his  suspicions  fell  upon  the  man  whom  he  had 
met  on  the  stairs,  and  the  lame  man  who  had  called 


140  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

him  to  the  carriage,  and  giving  a  loud  alarm  he  rushed 
frantically  down  the  stairs  in  the  hope  of  overtaking 
them  before  they  had  succeeded  in  getting  away.  He 
was  too  late,  however.  The  carriage  was  standing  a 
few  doors  from  the  office,  but  the  invalid  and  his  ac 
complice  had  disappeared.  The  driver,  on  being 
questioned,  stated  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  man, 
except  that  he  had  been  engaged  to  drive  him  to  this 
locality,  and  that  he  had  left  the  carriage  a  few  min 
utes  before,  stating  that  he  would  shortly  return. 

Disconsolately  the  clerk  made  his  way  back  to  the 
despoiled  office,  where  he  was  soon  rejoined  by  Mr. 
Bloodgood,  who  had  returned  from  his  lunch  in  bliss 
ful  ignorance  of  what  had  transpired  during  his  ab 
sence.  A  hurried  examination  was  at  once  made,  and 
the  result  proved  that  bonds  and  securities  amounting 
to  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  had 
been  carried  off  by  the  daring  thieves. 

In  a  state  of  excitement  bordering  almost  upon 
frenzy,  Mr.  Bloodgood  rushed  to  my  Agency,  and 
hurriedly  detailed  the  facts  above  related,  and  re 
quested  that  the  most  active  measures  should  be  im 
mediately  taken  to  discover  the  thieves  and,  if  possi 
ble,  to  rescue  the  stolen  property. 

Anxious  that  no  time  should  be  wasted  in  getting 
to  work,  Robert  visited  the  office  of  Mr.  Bloodgood, 
and  made  a  careful  examination  of  the  place.  From 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  141 

what  could  be  discovered,  and  further  information 
that  was  given,  it  was  evident  that  the  work  had 
been  performed  by  a  gang  of  expert  sneak  thieves, 
who  had  laid  their  plans  with  a  skill  which  bespoke 
the  ingenious  and  daring  professional. 

Prior  to  this  occurrence  I  had  received  informa 
tion  of  the  arrival  of  several  professional  thieves  of 
this  particular  character,  and  as  many  of  these  men 
were  known  to  me  from  previous  experience,  it  was 
resolved  to  look  them  up  at  once.  Operatives  were 
immediately  despatched  to  the  localities  which  this 
class  of  thieves  usually  frequented,  and  Mr.  George 
A.  Bangs  and  my  son  Robert,  made  every  prepara 
tion  for  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  our  search. 

Both  Mr.  Blooclgoocl  and  his  clerk  were  fortu 
nately  able  to  give  accurate  descriptions  of  the  men 
who  had  entered  the  office,  and  the  clerk  distinctly 
remembered  the  features  of  the  alleged  lame  man 
with  whom  he  had  conversed  while  the  robbery  was 
being  perpetrated.  The  hackman  was  also  found, 
and  his  description  of  the  man  he  had  conveyed  to 
Mr.  Bloodgood's  office  agreed  perfectly  with  that  al 
ready  given,  and  from  all  accounts  which  could  be 
gained,  I  felt  reasonably  sure  of  the  indentification  of 
the  two  men,  if  I  could  succeed  in  reaching  them. 
These  descriptions,  however,  and  the  knowledge  I 
had  previously  gained,  of  the  arrival  of  a  certain 


142  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

party  of  thieves,  some  of  whom  were  known  to  me, 
were  all  the  clues  that  I  possessed  on  which  to  build 
a  plan  of  detection,  but  I  resolved  to  push  the  mat 
ter  with  the  utmost  boldness,  and  eventually  unearth 
the  scoundrels  if  it  was  possible  to  do  so. 

There  is  a  peculiar  feature  about  professional 
sneak  thieves,  which  is  perhaps  not  generally  known. 
They,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  form  themselves 
into  organized  bands  or  gangs,  and  as  a  general  rule 
establish  their  resting  headquarters  in  New  York  or 
some  other  large  city.  From  this  point  they  travel 
throughout  the  country,  ever  on  the  alert  for  oppor 
tunities  for  stealing  where  violence  is  not  necessary 
in  order  to  effect  their  objects.  These  bands  or 
gangs  seldom  exceed  five  men  in  membership,  who  con 
stitute  one  of  their  number  as  a  leader,  and  by  whose 
name  they  are  generally  known.  The  commands  of 
this  temporarily  constituted  leader  must  be  implicitly 
obeyed  when  they  are  at  work,  but  in  all  other  re 
spects  a  perfectly  equal  copartnership  exists  be 
tween  them,  and  the  spoils  are  divided  in  a  fair  and 
equitable  manner.  A  number  of  these  gangs  had 
been  seen  in  New  York  immediately  prior  to  this 
robbery,  and  the  investigations  of  my  men  during 
the  three  days  that  followed  this  event,  proved  con 
clusively  that  one  of  them  had  mysteriously  disap 
peared  from  the  city.  A  comparison  of  their  des- 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  143 

criptions  fully  confirmed  our  previous  suspicion,  and 
speculation  soon  resolved  itself  into  a  certainty. 

The  band  who  had    thus  disappeared,  was  known 
to  be    composed  of    four  men,   who    had  been  con 
nected   together  and  had  been  engaged  in  thieving 
practices  for  a  number  of  years,  and  some  of  whom 
had   on  more   than   one  occasion   suffered  imprison 
ment.     The    names    of  these    suspected    men    were* 
Henry  Miles,  James  Dougherty,  William  Shields  and 
Joseph  Bennett,  but  their  numerous   aliases  were  in 
genious  and  often  euphonious. 

Having  decided  definitely  that  these  parties  were 
the  guilty  ones,  plans  were  at  once  set  on  foot  which 
were  believed  would  prove  the  most  efficacious,  in 
leading  to  the  acquirement  of  reliable  information  of 
their  whereabouts,  and  ultimately  to  their  capture. 

Full  publicity  had  been  given  to  the  fact  of  the 
robbery,  and  the  financial  circles  of  the  country  had 
been  furnished  with  a  list  of  the  securities  stolen,  and 
duly  warned  against  negotiating  any  of  them,  in  case 
they  should  be  offered  for  sale ;  and  having  thus 
taken  means  to  stop  any  disposition  being  made  of 
the  bonds,  and  to  apprehend  any  one  attempting  to 
sell  them,  we  commenced  our  search  for  the  criminals. 

Our  only  preliminary  course  under  the  circum 
stances  was  to  inaugurate  a  vigorous  and  diversified 
system  of  shadowing.  Every  person  known  to  have 


i44  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

been  in  communication  with  these  suspected  parties 
was  placed  under  the  watchful  surveillance  of  my 
operatives — men  in  almost  every  conceivable  garb, 
visited  the  haunts  of  the  criminal  classes  which  infest 
a  great  city,  and  all  who  were  recognized  as  previous 
associates  of  the  robbers  were  closely  watched  by 
expert  detectives,  whose  movements  excited  no  sus 
picion,  but  who  followed  them  through  all  their  daily 
and  nightly  wanderings. 

There  was  one  man  who  was  known  to  have  been 
formerly  a  member  of  this  particular  band,  and  it  was 
supposed  that  he  might  still  be  in  communication 
with  them.  This  man  was  named  Edward  Marston, 
and  he  was  naturally  made  a  special  object  of  espion 
age  by  my  watchful  men. 

After  a  guarded  but  persistent  inquiry  it  was 
learned  that  Edward  Marston  had  ostensibly  given 
up  the  criminal  life  he  had  led  for  so  many  years  and 
was  now  living  in  retirement  with  his  family,  in  some 
respectable  section  of  the  city,  the  exact  location  of 
which  could  not  at  first  be  discovered.  After  a  time, 
however,  he  was  met  upon  the  street  by  one  of  my 
men,  and  being  stealthily  followed  was  seen  to  enter 
a  neat  brown-stone  residence  in  upper  New  York- 
being  a  portion  of  the  city  occupied  almost  exclu 
sively  by  people  of  unquestioned  respectability.  His 
dwelling-place  being  thus  fortunately  ascertained,  a 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  145 

watch  was  placed  upon  the  premises  and  every  one 
seen  to  enter  or  leave  the  house  was  shadowed 
by  persistent  detectives. 

In  the  meantime,  I  had  not  been  idle  in  other 
directions.  All  the  police  authorities  in  the  various 
cities  in  the  country  had  been  communicated  with ; 
the  suspected  parties  had  been  fully  described,  and 
they  were  requested  to  acquaint  me  of  the  fact, 
should  any  of  them  make  their  appearance  in  these 
localities,  but  as  yet  nothing  had  been  heard  from 
them  from  any  quarter.  Their  escape  and  disappear 
ance  appeared  to  be  as  complete  as  it  had  been  rapid. 

After  shadowing  the  residence  of  Edward  Marston 
for  nearly  two  weeks,  our  efforts  were  rewarded  by 
the  appearance  of  an  individual  who  was  destined  to 
prove  of  great  value  to  us,  in  the  pursuit  in  which  we 
were  now  engaged.  This  individual  was  none  other 
than  the  reputed  wife  of  Joseph  Bennett,  one  of  the 
suspected  thieves.  She  was  a  dashing  and  beautiful1 
young  woman,  and  it  was  alleged  had  frequently 
assisted  her  husband  in  his  nefarious  work.  This 
woman  received  a  great  deal  of  attention  in  a  very 
quiet  way  from  my  men,  and  not  many  days  elapsed 
before  their  vigilance  was  rewarded.  From  her 
actions  it  was  evident  that  she  was  contemplating  a 
journey.  On  one  of  her  shopping  excursions,  she 
purchased  a  trunk  which  was  sent  to  her  place  of 


i46  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

residence,  and  at  various  times  she  made  other  pur 
chases  which  indicated  that  she  was  preparing  to  leave 
the  city.  At  length,  on  one  bright  sunny  morning  in 
April,  Mrs.  Bennett  left  her  home  in  a  carriage,  on 
the  top  of  which  safely  reposed  the  trunk  which  had 
been  noticed  by  the  detectives  ;  and  at  a  short  dis 
tance  behind  her  followed  a  gentlemanly  looking 
fellow,  whose  occupation  would  not  have  been  sus 
pected,  but  who  designed  traveling  by  the  same  train 
that  carried  the  dashing  beauty,  if  it  was  possible  to 
do  so. 

The  lady  drove  to  the  ticket  office  of  one  of  the 
railways,  and  the  detective  approached  as  near  as 
possible  in  order  to  learn  her  destination.  He  was 
able  to  hear  her  inquire  for  a  ticket  to  Baltimore, 
and  he  immediately  purchased  a  diminutive  piece  of 
card-board  which  entitled  him  to  travel  to  the  same 
city.  Following  the  lady  into  the  train,  the  detective 
seated  himself  in  the  coach  behind  the  one  occupied 
by  Mrs.  Bennett,  through  the  windows  of  which  he 
could  plainly  keep  her  in  view,  and  at  the  same  time 
escape  being  seen  by  her. 

No  event  of  any  importance  transpired  until  the 
city  of  Baltimore  was  reached,  and  here  Mrs.  Bennett 
was  met  at  the  depot,  by  a  man  who  was  apparently 
awaiting  her  arrival,  and  who  appeared  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  her.  They  talked  earnestly  together 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  147 

for  a  few  minutes,  and  then,  making  arrangements  for 
the  transfer  of  the  lady's  baggage,  they  proceeded  to 
the  Washington  depot,  where  a  ticket  was  procured 
for  Petersburg,  Virginia,  and  the  detective,  following 
her  example,  found  himself  again  a  traveler  in  com 
pany  with  the  wife  of  the  suspected  thief. 

Without  accident  or  delay  the  city  of  Petersburg 
was  reached,  and  the  detective  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  lady  safely  deposited  at  Jarrett's  Hotel, 
before  making  any  attempt  at  domiciling  himself. 
Having  entirely  escaped  the  notice  of  Mrs.  Bennett, 
and  having  attracted  no  unusual  attention  to  himself, 
the  operative  at  length  decided  to  secure  quarters 
under  the  same  roof  with  the  lady,  and  thus  be 
enabled  to  note  more  particularly  whatever  transpired. 

The  next  day  the  wisdom  of  our  pursuit  was  proven, 
for  the  lady  was  then  joined  by  her  husband,  and  the 
operative  immediately  telegraphed  this  important  fact 
to  my  New  York  Agency,  Upon  receipt  of  this 
intelligence,  Robert,  in  company  with  another  opera 
tive,  set  out  to  join  the  parties  at  Petersburg.  The 
papers  necessary  to  effect  the  arrest  of  the  parties 
were  duly  procured,  and  my  son  and  his  associate 
arrived  at  Petersburg  fully  authorized  and  determined 
to  act  decidedly  in  the  matter,  should  occasion  war 
rant  it. 

At  the  depot  they  were  met  by  the  operative,  who 


148  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

conveyed  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  Henry  Miles 
and  James  Dougherty  had  also  arrived,  and  were 
now  the  guests  of  the  same  hotel  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bennett  To  avoid  a  premature  recognition,  Robert 
located  himself  in  a  portion  of  the  city,  some  distance 
from  the  hotel,  and  arranged  for  prompt  communica 
tion  in  case  Mr.  Shields,  the  remaining  member  of  the 
band,  should  make  his  appearance,  or  if  the  others 
evinced  any  disposition  to  leave  the  city. 

This  question  was  fully  arid  satisfactorily  decided 
on  the  following  morning,  when  William  Shields, 
looking  as  rosy  and  innocent  as  a  child,  arrived  in 
town  and  proceeded  directly  to  the  Hotel,  where 
he  was  assigned  a  room  in  close  proximity  to  the 
others  who  had  preceded  him. 

The  time  for  decisive  action  had  now  arrived,  and 
after  dark  that  evening,  Robert  procured  the  services 
of  two  members  of  the  city  police,  and  repaired  to  the 
hotel,  directing  the  men  to  approach  the  premises 
singly,  in  order  to  avoid  creating  any  curiosity  or 
alarm.  It  was  nine  o'clock  when  they  reached  their 
destination,  and  one  of  my  operatives  who  had  been 
constantly  on  the  alert,  informed  Robert  that  the 
entire  party  were  now  in  the  room  occupied  by 
Bennett  and  his  wife,  and  were  evidently  having  a 
very  pleasant  time. 

Noiselessly  the  men   ascended  the  stairs,  and   on 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  149 

arriving  at  the  door  of  the  room,  Robert  knocked 
sharply  for  admittance.  The  men  were  arranged 
directly  behind  him,  in  order  to  follow  him  in  at 
once.  So  assured  did  the  occupants  feel  of  their  im 
munity  from  pursuit,  that  without  delay  or  inquiry, 
Shields  sprang  to  the  door,  and  quickly  unlocking  it, 
stood  gazing  in  stupefied  astonishment  at  the  scene 
which  met  his  view. 

Directing  one  of  the  men  to  secure  him,  Robert 
pushed  forward  and  entered  the  room  followed 
closely  by  the  others.  The  party  were  all  assembled, 
and  from  appearances,  had  been  engaged  in  a  friendly 
game  of  cards, — while  a  decanter  of  liquor  and  sev 
eral  glasses  were  arranged  upon  another  small  table 
in  the  room. 

Bennett  uttered  an  oath  and  sprang  to  his  feet, 
as  if  with  the  intention  of  offering  some  resistance 
to  the  unwelcome  intruders ;  but  a  glance  at  his  two 
companions,  who  had  already  been  secured,  warned 
him  that  any  attempt  of  that  kind,  would  be  as  un 
availing  as  it  might  be  dangerous.  The  officers  be 
fore  him  were  fearless  and  determined,  and  finding 
how  fruitless  his  efforts  would  be,  he  quietly  sub 
mitted  and  allowed  himself  to  be  secured. 

The  advent  of  the  officers  was  a  complete  surprise 
to  the  baffled  thieves,  for  until  their  unexpected 
entrance,  they  had  no  suspicion  that  their  hiding- 


150  SNEAK     THIEVING. 

place  was  known,  or,  in  fact,  that  they  had  been  con 
nected  with  the  robbery  at  all. 

All  their  baggage  was  at  once  secured,  and  the 
entire  party  were  marched  to  the  jail  to  await  an  in 
vestigation.  Robert  and  the  Chief  of  Police  then 
made  an  examination  of  the  effects  of  the  prisoners, 
and  their  search  was  soon  rewarded  with  the  most 
gratifying  success.  In  the  bottom  of  the  trunk,  which 
Mrs.  Bennett  had  brought  with  her,  was  found  a  lar£je 

o  o 

tin  box  securely  locked,  and  on  forcing  the  lid,  the 
officers  were  delighted  to  find  every  identical  se 
curity  that  had  been  taken  from  Mr.  Bloodgood's 
office.  Not  a  single  bond  was  missing,  and  the  re 
covery  was  a  matter  of  sincere  congratulation  to  the 
men  who  had  thus  run  the  thieves  to  earth.  Nor 
was  this  all,  for  after  removing  the  bonds  and  papers 
of  Mr.  Bloodgood,  they  found  another  package  neatly 
inclosed  in  an  oil-skin  wrapper,  and  marked  in  rough 
characters,  with  the  words  :  "  This  is  another  lot  of 
stuff."  Upon  opening  this  package,  the  detectives 
discovered  the  evidences  of  another  large  robbery,  for 
its  contents  consisted  of  $51,000  in  United  States 
bonds. 

Of  course  no  further  evidence  was  required  of  the 
guilt  of  the  prisoners,  and  on  the  following  day,  they 
were  conveyed  to  New  York  City  where  they  were 
duly  committed  to  await  their  trial. 


SNEAK     THIEVING.  151 

Inquiries  in  regard  to  the  United  States  bonds,  so 
unexpectedly  discovered,  led  to  the  revelation  that 
the  National  Bank  of  Courtland,  New  York,  had  been 
robbed  in  the  month  of  July  preceding  the  theft  of 
Mr.  Bloodgood's  securities,  and  a  list  of  the  stolen 
bonds  corresponded  fully  with  those  found  in  the 
strong  box  at  Petersburg.  They  were  immediately 
returned  to  the  Bank  officers,  who  were  profusely 
grateful  for  their  recovery,  all  hopes  of  which  had 
long  ago  been  abandoned. 

The  trial  of  the  thieves  took  place  in  due  time, 
and  after  a  full  hearing,  the  parties  were  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  long  terms  of  imprisonment.  That 
prison  discipline  will  be  at  all  beneficial  to  them,  I  have 
grave  doubts,  and  I  shall  not  be  surprised  if  at  some 
time  in  the  future,  I  am  called  upon  to  pursue  them 
for  similar  crimes,  and  I  sincerely  hope  with  similar 
results. 

Mr.  Bloodgood's  gratitude  was  unbounded,  and 
his  joy  at  the  recovery  of  his  lost  securities  was  unre 
strained,  and  I  am  of  the  firm  opinion  that  never 
again  in  his  buiness  career,  will  he  be  indiscreet 
enough  to  allow  valuable  papers  to  be  exposed  in  his 
office  so  recklessly  as  to  tempt  the  cupidity  of  inquir 
ing  strangers. 


PALACE  CAR   THIEVES. 


The  Thief  and  His  Companion. — An  Attractive  Female. — Slum 
bering  Passengers. — An  Innocent  Accomplice. — Searching  for 
the  Thief. — Mr.  Potter  Loses  some  Diamonds. — Mr.  Bangs  on 
the  Trail. — A  Remarkable  Discovery. — A  dvice  to  Travelers. 


TIME  and  again,  and  at  intervals  too  frequent  for 
the  public  safety,  come  the  reports  of  rob 
beries  committed  upon  the  various  railways  through 
out  the  country,  and  in  every  instance  they  have  been 
perpetrated  upon  the  famous  palace  cars,  which  are 
now  so  extensively  patronized  by  that  portion  of  the 
public  who  are  able  to  afford  the  luxury  of  their  supe 
rior  appointments.  In  my  own  experience,  I  have 
had  a  number  of  such  cases  reported  to  me,  and  in  my 
perusal  of  the  journals  of  the  day,  I  have  found  the 
records  of  many  more.  For  the  benefit,  therefore,  of 
those  who  have  occasion  to  make  long  journeys,  and, 
perhaps,  carry  large  sums  of  money  about  their  per 
sons,  I  will  detail  the  methods  of  the  expert  thieves, 
whose  operations  have  heretofore  been  only  too  suc- 
152 


PALACE    CAR     THIEVES.  153 

cessful,  and  whose  detection  at  the  time  has  seemed 
to  be  a  matter  of  impossibility. 

The  thief  who  commits  these  acts  of  robbery  is 
generally  accompanied  by  his  wife,  or  a  female  com 
panion,  although  during  their  journey  no  one  would 
suspect  an  intimacy,  or  even  an  acquaintance  between 
them,  so  studiously  do  they  avoid  each  other. 

Their  mode  of  proceeding  is  about  as  follows:— 

In  every  case  the  thief  and  his  companion  endeav 
or  to  secure  the  forward  sleeper,  or  the  one  immedi 
ately  behind  the  passenger  coaches,  and  they  never 
engage  a  berth  at  the  ticket  office  in  advance.  The 
reasons  for  this  are  obvious.  In  the  first  place,  they 
would  thus  incur  the  risk  of  being  assigned  to  the 
rear  coach  ;  but  what  is  of  more  importance,  there 
would  be  the  imminent  possibility  of  their  being  sep 
arated,  and  it  is  utterly  essential  to  the  proper  work 
ing  of  their  scheme,  that  both  the  man  and  the 
woman  should  be  assigned  to  the  same  car. 

The  first  consideration  is  for  the  female  compan 
ion  of  the  thief  to  inquire  of  the  conductor  whether 
she  can  secure  the  state-room  for  herself,  or  failing  in 
that,  an  entire  section  is  the  last"  resort.  Should  she 
be  successful  in  this,  she  informs  her  companion  of 
the  fact  by  a  prearranged  signal,  and  he  then  secures 
a  berth  for  himself  in  the  same  car.  Thus  far  suc 
cessful,  but  little  remains  to  be  done  until  the  pas- 


T54  PALACE    CAR     THIEVES. 

sengers  have  retired.  In  the  meantime,  however,  the 
lady  being  alone,  and,  as  is  generally  the  case,  young 
and  attractive  looking,  becomes  the  object  of  consid 
erable  solicitude  and  politeness  from  the  conductor, 
who,  like  all  of  his  sex,  has  a  tender  feeling  for  unpro 
tected  beauty.  To  this  gentleman,  however,  she  is  but 
distantly  polite,  and  a  few  slight  evidences  of  her  con 
tempt  for  him  are  sufficient  to  convince  him  that  his 
attentions  in  that  quarter  are  distasteful,  and  he  there 
fore  leaves  her  alone. 

To  the  colored  porter  of  the  car,  however,  she  is 
graciousness  itself,  and  he,  being  but  human,  soon  suc 
cumbs  to  the  sweet  smiles  that  are  so  lavishly  be 
stowed  upon  him  by  the  pretty  and  unprotected 
woman,  who  seems  to  rely  so  implicitly  upon  him. 

While  the  lady  is  thus  deporting  herself  with  the 
conductor  and  the  porter,  the  male  thief  has  not  been 
idle.  He  has  made  a  careful  estimate  of  his  fellow- 
passengers,  and  has  satisfied  himself  as  to  which  of 
them  are  the  most  profitable  objects  of  attack. 

As  the  night  advances,  the  passengers  become  fa 
tigued,  and  soon  the  porter  is  busily  engaged  in  making 
up  the  berths  for  the  night.  During  this  operation  the 
thief  neglects  no  opportunity  to  carefully  observe, 
if  possible,  the  movements  of  those  around  him,  in 
preparing  themselves  for  slumber.  He,  however,  re 
tires  with  the  others,  and  soon  all  is  perfect  quietness, 


PALACE     CAR     THIEVES.  155 

broken  only  by  the  labored  breathing  of  the  sleeping 
passengers. 

The  time  is  now  fast  approaching  for  active  work, 
and  the  female  prepares  to  play  her  part  with  becom 
ing  tact.  The  conductor  has  already  retired,  and 
only  the  porter  is  awake,  engaged  in  one  of  the  mani 
fold  duties  of  his  position.  In  a  few  moments  he 
hears  his  name  gently  called,  and  he  knows  that  the 
voice  is  that  of  his  interesting  and  gracious  lady-pas 
senger.  Leaving  his  work  he  hastens  to  her,  when 
the  lady,  slipping  a  generous  fee  into  his  hand,  com 
plains  of  a  sudden  and  distressing  headache — and  re 
quests  him  to  bring  a  cooling  glass  of  water ;  when  he 
returns  with  the  desired  beverage,  she  invites  him 
into  the  room,  and  in  a  piteous  tone  of  suffering,  re 
quests  him  to  moisten  her  handkerchief  with  the 
water,  and  press  it  to  her  aching  temples.  Only  too 
willing  to  be  of  service,  the  gentle-hearted  porter 
complies  with  her  entreaties,  and  for  twenty  minutes 
or  half  an  hour,  he  is  engaged  in  his  kindly  ministra 
tions.  This  is  the  opportunity  for  which  the  thief 
has  been  watching,  and  the  moment  that  the  porter 
steps  into  the  section  occupied  by  the  lady,  he  com 
mences  his  operations.  As  he  steps  from  his  berth 
it  would  be  impossible  to  recognize  the  smoothly 
shaven,  and  ministerial  looking  individual  who  had 
retired  a  short  time  before.  In  his  stead  there 


156  PALACE  CAR 

emerges  from  the  flowing  curtains  a  man  wearing  a 
large  and  bushy  beard,  which  entirely  conceals  the 
lower  part  of  his  face,  and  with  a  large  slouch  hat, 
which  gives  him  a  brigandish  appearance  very  dif 
ferent  from  the  meekness  of  his  previous  deportment. 
He  is  fully  dressed,  and  upon  his  feet  are  a  pair  of 
cloth  slippers.  His  right  coat-sleeve  is  rolled  up  as 
far  as  it  can  be  done,  and  thus  prepared,  he  springs 
for  the  couch  of  his  first  victim. 

As  a  general  thing  he  finds  the  pocket-book  or 
roll  of  money  under  the  pillow,  and  in  that  case  his 
success  is  of  easy  accomplishment,  a  few  deft  move 
ments  and  the  property  of  the  unconscious  owner  has 
changed  hands  completely  and  effectually.  Many  trav 
elers,  however,  retire  to  their  berths,  without  remov 
ing  their  clothes,  but  if  they  are  sound  sleepers  they 
can  be  robbed  as  easily  and  successfully  as  a  person 
who  disrobes — provided  they  are  not  lying  on  the  side 
on  which  they  carry  their  funds.  A  few  seconds  will 
serve  to  enable  a  thief  to  ascertain  the  location  of  the 
valuables  of  a  sleeper,  and  if  they  are  unattainable, 
he  does  not  waste  any  time  upon  that  victim  but  im 
mediately  seeks  another. 

Should,  however,  a  person  who  is  being  robbed, 
awaken,  and  the  thief  has  calculated  fully  upon  such 
a  misfortune,  his  actions  are  as  methodical  as  if  no 
danger  was  to  be  apprehended.  Affording  the  aroused 


PALAC&  CAR    THIEVES.  \^ 

sleeper  an  opportunity  for  a  full  view  of  his  disguised 
face,  the  thief  at  once  springs  for  the  front  platform. 
Here  he  quickly  throws  off  his  whiskers  and  slouch 
hat,  and  enters  the  passenger  coach  ahead  in  his  nat 
ural  state,  with  smooth  face  and  a  fine  silk  traveling 
cap,  which  he  has  worn  under  the  slouch  hat  all  the 
time.  Proceeding  to  the  smoking  car,  he  coolly 
lights  his  cigar,  and  while  he  is  enjoying  the  fragrant 
weed  the  alarm  is  being  sounded.  The  porter  and 
the  aroused  sleeper  are  both  hurriedly  questioned  by 
the  startled  conductor. 

"Did  you  obtain  a  fair  look  at  him?"  is  almost 
the  invariable  question. 

"  Yes,  and  I  would  know  him  among  a  thousand," 
is  the  almost  equally  invariable  reply. 

They  both  agree  upon  their  description  of  the 
black  whiskered  robber,  and  a  journey  is  at  once 
made  through  the  forward  cars,  for  the  purpose  of 
identifying  the  bold  marauder.  While  this  search  is 
going  on,  the  thief,  throwing  away  his  cigar,  leaves  the 
smoking  car  and  goes  back  to  bed,  passing  the 
searching  party  on  his  way,  and  without  a  suspicion 
of  his  identity  being  entertained  for  a  moment. 

When  the  thief  and  his  companion  purchase  their 
tickets  for  the  trip,  they  usually  do  so  with  the  view 
of  leaving  the  train  at  some  large  town  or  city,  about 
daylight  on  the  following  morning.  Preserving  their 


158  PALACE    CAR     THIEVES. 

appearance  of  being  utter  strangers  to  each  other, 
they  proceed  to  different  hotels,  and  when  night 
again  arrives  they  are  once  more  upon  the  road,  pre 
pared  to  operate  as  circumstances  shall  provide. 

The  mode  described  above  is  about  the  genera- 
plan  adopted  by  the  expert  thief  for  the  robbery  of 
the  passengers  on  the  sleeping  cars,  although  occa 
sionally  a  man  will  be  found  who  operates  entirely 
alone,  and  without  any  assistance  whatever.  This  in 
dividual  generally  watches  the  ticket  offices  closely 
and  should  he  notice  a  well-filled  wallet  in  the  hands 
of  some  prospective  passenger,  who  is  likely  to  prove  a 
good  mark,  he  immediately  engages  passage  on  the 
same  train  and  in  the  same  car  with  him.  When  all 
have  retired  for  the  night,  the  thief  carefully  watches 
the  actions  of  the  porter,  while  he  is  engaged  in  brush 
ing  the  shoes  of  the  passengers,  and  if  a  favorable 
opportunity  occurs,  his  work  is  accomplished  in  a 
flash,  and  the  other  passengers  are  left  entirely  unmo 
lested.  Should  the  porter  be  too  watchful  while  at 
work,  the  thief  will  patiently  wait  until  the  sable 
guardian  is  caught  "  cat-napping,"  and  then  his  ob 
ject  is  quickly  accomplished.  The  thief  who  operates 
alone,  observes  the  same  precautions  with  regard  to 
disguises  as  detailed  above,  and  his  mode  of  proceed 
ing  is  similar  in  case  of  the  awakening  of  his  victim. 

Sometimes,  however,  the  sleeping  cars  are  made  to 


PALACE    CAR     THIEVES.  159 

bear  the  burdens  of  the  wrongs  of  others,  and  robberies 
which  never  occurred  are  alleged  to  have  taken  place 
while  the  poor  victim  was  asleep.  A  few  years  ago 
a  case  of  this  nature  was  reported  to  me,  in  which  the 
amount  involved  was  quite  considerable.  From  the 
statements  made  to  me  at  the  time,  it  appeared  that  a 
young  and  highly  respected  gentleman,  was  the  victim 
of  the  car  thieves  to  the  extent  of  nearly  fifteen  thou 
sand  dollars.  This  young  gentleman  had  been 
engaged  for  a  long  time  with  a  prominent  jewelry 
house  in  New  York,  and  his  especial  branch  of  busi 
ness  was  the  sale  of  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones 
to  the  trade  throughout  the  Western  country.  In 
the  pursuit  of  his  vocation  he  frequently  carried  with 
him  valuable  gems,  which  aggregated  in  value  many 
thousands  of  dollars.  Careful  and  responsible  to  a 
remarkable  degree,  he  enjoyed  the  fullest  confidence 
of  his  employers,  and  no  accident  or  misfortune  ever 
befell  him  until  the  event  which  I  am  about  to  relate. 
Mr.  Potter,  for  that  was  the  young  gentleman's  name, 
had  been  upon  one  extended  and  very  successful  trip 
to  the  west,  and  having  finished  up  his  business,  in  an 
entirely  satisfactory  manner,  was  returning  to  New 
York,  with  the  balance  of  his  valuable  samples,  which 
were  worth  fully  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  The 
journey  had  been  made  in  safety  and  without  accidents 
until  on  the  morning  just  before  his  arrival  in  New 


160  PALACE    CAR     THIEVES. 

York,  and  upon  the  New  York  Central  Railroad.  Mr. 
Potter  had  arisen  after  a  refreshing  night's  slumber, 
and  made  his  toilet,  when  on  reaching  under  his  pillow 
for  his  vest,  in  which  he  carried  his  valuable  stock- 
he  was  horrified  to  'find  that  this  article  of  his  wearing 
apparel  was  missing.  He  had  placed  it  there  before 
retiring  and  now  it  was  not  to  be  found.  The  thief, 
whoever  he  was,  had  made  thorough  work  of  his  rob 
bery  this  time,  and  had  not  only  carried  off  the  valu 
able  booty,  but  the  clothing  as  well.  Mr.  Potter's 
consternation  and  agony  were  unmistakable,  and 
after  a  hurried  but  thorough  search  of  the  train,  which 
it  is  needless  to  say  was  unsuccessful,  the  young  man 
hastened  to  the  establishment  of  his  employers  and 
in  tearful  tones,  related  the  story  of  his  great  mis 
fortune. 

Prompt  measures  were  at  once  resolved  upon,  and 
Mr.  Potter  was  immediately  conducted  to  my  agency 
by  the  two  gentlemen.  Here  he  again  related  his 
experience,  and  the  recital  in  no  wise  differed  from 
his  previous  relation.  By  request  he  made  his  state 
ment  in  writing,  and  although  fearfully  agitated,  he 
was  enabled  to  declare  on  paper  the  occurrences 
exactly  as  they  had  been  detailed  before.  Mr.  Potter's 
employers  were  questioned,  and  they  both  united  in 
expressing  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  young  man, 
and  were  very  urgent  in  their  request  for  a  thorough 


PALACE   CAR    THIEVES.  161 

and  vigorous  investigation  into  the  matter  at  as  early 
a  day  as  possible. 

Before  evening  every  employee  and  passenger  on 
the  sleeping  car  which  carried  young  Mr.  Potter  to 
New  York,  had  been  interviewed,  and  their  state 
ments  obtained  in  writing,  and  ere  Mr.  Bangs  closed 
his  eyes  in  slumber  that  evening,  he  had  evolved  a 
plan  of  detection,  which  he  was  fully  prepared  to  put 
into  operation  on  the  following  morning.  The  re 
sult  is  soon  detailed.  Within  a  week  it  was  demon 
strated  beyond  doubt  or  question  that  the  irreproach 
able  and  highly  respected  Mr.  Potter  had  gambled 
away  his  valuable  stock,  in  a  single  evening,  in 
one  of  the  prominent  western  towns,  which  he 
had  been  required  to  visit.  Piece  after  piece,  and 
stone  after  stone,  had  been  staked  at  the  gaming 
table  and  lost,  and  when  morning  dawned,  he  was  a 
ruined  man  and  a  thief.  Instead  of  acknowledging 
his  crime,  his  mind  was  active  in  inventing  expedi 
ents  to  escape  the  penalty  of  his  dishonesty,  and  the 
story  of  the  sleeping  car  robbery  was  the  result.  It 
was  not  successful,  however,  and  on  being  confronted 
with  the  evidences  of  his  guilt,  the  miserable  man 
broke  down  and  confessed  everything.  In  less  than 
a  fortnight  most  of  these  stolen  valuables  had  been 
returned  to  their  owners,  and  the  dishonest  young 
salesman  was  suing  for  mercy  at  the  hands  of  the 


162  PALACE    CAR     THIEVES. 

trusting  gentlemen  whose  confidence  he  had  so  meanly 
abused,  and  upon  whose  credulity  he  had  so  wan 
tonly  impose.  The  above  is  only  one  of  many  cases 
in  which  the  guilty  have  attempted  to  screen  them 
selves  from  the  consequences  of  their  crimes  by 
charging  others  with  the  deeds  they  themselves  have 
committed,  and  it  is  but  the  truth  to  say  that  in  al 
most  every  case  detection  has  followed,  and  the  really 
guilty  have  been  brought  to  punishment. 

It  is  not  the  less  true,  however,  that  expert  thieves 
find  in  the  numerous  and  handsomely  appointed  pal 
ace  cars,  a  bountiful  field  for  their  work,  and  the  trav 
eler  under  all  circumstances  must  needs  be  very  care 
ful  in  the  disposition  of  his  valuables  and  money 
when  he  retires.  Should  a  thief  be  discovered  in 
the  act,  be  assured  that  the  smooth-faced  man,  who 
has  only  been  in  the  smoking  car,  knows  more  about 
it  than  he  cares  to  tell,  and  if  there  is  an  interesting 
invalid  lady  on  the  train,  experience  will  certainly 
prove  her  complicity  in  the  crime. 

In  case  of  a  robbery  being  discovered,  therefore, 
in  the  morning,  watch  the  passengers  who  leave  the 
train  early,  and  see  if  a  gentleman  whose  clerical  ap 
pearance  would  disarm  suspicion,  and  a  well  dressed 
lady,  who  has  claimed  the  kindly  ministrations  of  the 
porter  during  the  night,  are  not  among  the  number. 
If  so,  rest  assured  that  this  delectable  couple  know 


PALACE    CAR     THIEVES.  163 

more  about  your  missing  valuables  than  any  other 
living  human  being.  The  conductors  and  porters  of 
the  palace  cars  are,  as  a  rule,  I  am  glad  to  say,  hon 
est  and  above  suspicion,  and  the  thieves  must  be 
looked  for  elsewhere. 

If  the  traveler,  therefore,  will  take  due  precau 
tions  before  retiring,  or  failing  in  that,  will,  if  a  suf 
ferer,  follow  the  directions  I  have  given  above,  rob 
beries  will  become  few  indeed,  and  the  perpetrators 
can  be  readily  detected,  and  promptly  punished. 


STEAMBOAT   OPERATORS. 

Mississippi  River  Thieves. — Preliminary  Arrangements. —  The 
"  Weeding  "  Process.— Stop  Thief  !—"  Excuse  my  Mistake,  I 
thought  this  was  my  Room." — First  Class  and  Second  Class 
Thieves. — Smooth  Tongues  and  Fair  Faces. —  The  Middle- 
Aged  Clergyman. —  Victimized  Gamblers. 

THE  traveling  public  of  all  kinds  and  classes 
seem  to  have  been  selected  by  the  thief  as 
fair  victims,  and  every  mode  of  travel  is  associated 
with  more  or  less  danger,  from  the  presence  of  these 
dishonest  experts.  Upon  the  high  seas,  in  the  rail 
way  carnage,  and  upon  the  palatial  boats  that  ply 
the  waters  of  our  large  navigable  rivers,  the  thief  is 
invariably  found,  and  his  operations  are  untiring. 
Many  unsuspicious  voyagers  have  been  made  the 
victims  of  this  lawless  fraternity,  and  upon  discover 
ing  their  losses,  are  unable  to  recall  a  single  individual, 
upon  whom  their  suspicions  would  fall,  with  any 
reasonable  degree  of  certainty.  Men,  also  experi 
enced  travelers,  who  have  taken  every  legitimate  pre 
caution  against  robbery,  have  been  victimized  as 
readily  and  successfully  as  their  more  unsophisticated 
164 


STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS.  165 

neighbors,  and  have  been  equally  at  a  loss  to  identify 
the  thief,  or  to  point  out  the  individual  who  might  be 
suspected  of  the  crime. 

The  numerous  vessels  that  ply  upon  the  waters  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  have  perhaps  afforded  a  more 
bountiful  harvest  to  the  thieves  than  any  others,  and 
for  that  reason  have  been  more  generally  selected 
by  the  experts.  Voyagers  are  numerous,  and  in  the 
main  they  are  disposed  to  carry  large  sums  about 
their  persons,  consequently  the  thief  usually  finds  a 
passage  upon  one  of  these  boats  a  fruitful  source  of 
profit. 

It  seems  almost  incredible,  the  degree  of  immu 
nity  from  detection  which  these  pilferers  enjoy,  yet 
it  rarely  happens  that  one  of  them  is  apprehended, 
and  then,  it  is  principally  because  his  countenance 
has  become  familiar  to  the  officers,  and  his  pre 
vious  presence  on  the  boat  has  generally  been  fol 
lowed  by  losses  to  the  other  passengers. 

The  steamboat-thief  usually  travels  and  operates 
alone,  as  from  the  nature  of  his  business,  he  requires 
no  assistance,  and  the  presence  of  a  partner  might 
only  lead  to  suspicion.  He  is  generally  a  person  of 
good  address  and  apparently  a  well-to-do  gentlemen 
who  may  be  traveling  either  for  business  or  pleasure. 
He  is  polite  in  his  deportment,  suave  in  his  manners, 
and  from  his  appearance  and  actions  would  never  be 


166  STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS. 

supposed  to  be  the  villain  he  really  is.  As  most  of 
these  boats  are  provided  with  watchmen,  the  first 
difficulty  experienced  by  the  thief  is  to  secure  either 
the  absence  or  the  obliquity  of  these  officials.  As  is 
generally  the  case,  however,  he  finds  but  little  diffi 
culty  in  accomplishing  his  purpose  in  this  direction. 
The  men  usually  employed  in  such  positions  are.  as  a 
class,  of  exceedingly  extravagant  habits,  and  their  pay 
is  entirely  inadequate  to  enable  them  to  gratify  their 
expensive  taste  and  to  maintain  their  luxurious 
notions  of  living.  As  a  consequence  of  this,  the  thief 
usually  finds  that  a  wise  bestowal  of  a  twenty  or  fifty 
dollar  bill  is  often  productive  of  wonderful  results. 

It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  there  are  many 
honorable  exceptions  to  this  rule,  and  that  a  majority 
of  the  officers,  are  men  of  the  most  sterling  honor  and 
unimpeachable  integrity,  whose  silence  or  temporary 
absence  could  not  be  purchased  at  any  price,  or 
under  any  circumstances.  It  is  unfortunate  however, 
that  there  are  numerous  exceptions  to  this  rule. 

Prior  to  commencing  his  work,  the  thief  has  several 
important  preliminaries  to  arrange,  before  he  can  rely 
upon  successful  operations.  One  of  these — the  "  fix 
ing  "  of  the  watchmen — I  have  mentioned.  He  must 
also  observe  the  passengers  carefully,  in  order  to  as 
certain  who  among  the  number,  will  most  certainly 
prove  the  most  remunerative  "  marks  "  or  objects  of 


STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS.  167 

attack.  He  is  enabled  to  do  this  very  easily  and  very 
satisfactorily  on  the  average  boat. 

Stationing  himself  within  close  proximity  to 
the  clerk's  office,  he  can  safely  watch  every  pas 
senger  who  purchases  a  ticket  or  secures  a  state 
room.  From  the  personal  appearance,  and  from 
the  display  which  the  purchaser  makes  of  his 
money,  added  to  the  long  experience  of  the  thief,  he 
is  thus  enabled  to  discover  not  only  the  individual 
to  be  robbed  with  advantage,  but  also  the  number  of 
the  state-room  he  is  to  occupy.  The  keys  to  these 
rooms  are  usually  hung  upon  an  ornamental  rack, 
arranged  for  the  purpose,  and  in  full  view  of  the 
observant  passenger.  By  these  means  the  victim  is 
both  "  marked  "  and  located. 

As  the  locks  to  these  state-rooms  are  mere  pre 
tenses,  in  fact,  which  simply  ensure  privacy  and  not 
safety,  the  thief  requires  but  a  single  instrument  to 
assist  him  in  his  work.  This  instrument  is  a  pair  of 
the  indispensable  nippers — and  it  frequently  happens 
that  the  use  of  this  implement  is  unnecessary.  Most 
of  the  passengers  have  a  deep-seated  dread  of  fire, 
while  on  ship-board,  and  many  of  them  leave  their 
doors  unlocked,  so  that  in  case  of  an  alarm,  no  im 
pediment  will  prevent  them  from  reaching  the  deck 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

Having  determined  which   of  the  passengers  he 


168  STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS. 

will  operate  upon,  the  thief  occupies  his  time  in  polite 
conversation  or  in  reading  until  the  time  for  retir 
ing  arrives.  The  most  experienced  and  expert  opera 
tors  generally  commence  their  work  at  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  He  removes  all  his  super 
fluous  articles  of  clothing,  retaining  only  a  woolen 
undershirt  and  his  pantaloons.  The  reasons  for  this 
are  two-fold — in  the  first  place  he  is  enabled  to  move 
about  readily  and  without  making  the  slightest  noise, 
and  in  the  second  place,  if  any  of  the  officers  or  waiters 
should  observe  him  coming  out  of  a  state-room,  they 
would  naturally  imagine  that  he  was  in  search  of  the 
water-closet,  and  pay  no  attention  to  him,  and  he  in 
variably  seeks  that  locality,  if  he  attracts  the  notice  of 
officials.  It  will  be  remembered  that  these  state 
rooms  have  two  doors,  one  of  which  opens  into  the 
cabin  or  saloon,  and  the  other  upon  the  outside  into 
the  passage-way  which  extends  around  the  railing  or 
gunwale  of  the  boat.  If  the  thief  is  working  upon  the 
same  side  of  the  boat  on  which  his  own  state-room  is 
situated,  he  always  enters  and  leaves  from  the  out 
side  door  and  never  under  any  circumstances  from  the 
inside  or  cabin.  The  labor  of  the  steamboat  thief  is 
much  lightened  from  the  fact  that  passengers  have 
but  one  place  to  hide  their  money,  and  that  is  under 
their  pillows.  They  cannot  put  it  under  their  mat 
tress  as  in  hotel-apartments,  for  the  reason  that  the 


STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS.  169 

berths  are  furnished  with  but  a  single  mattress  which 
rests  upon  springs.  This  the  thief  regards  as  an  evi 
dence  of  great  consideration  and  kindness  on  the  part 
of  the  Boat  Company,  and  his  gratitude  is  so  great 
that  he  never  attempts  to  rob  any  of  the  officers. 

Obtaining  an  entrance  into  a  state-room  through 
the  open  door,  or  by  the  aid  of  his  nippers,  he  at  once 
places  upon  his  face  a  crape  mask  which  entirely  con 
ceals  his  features,  without  interfering  in  the  least  with 
the  clearness  of  his  vision.  A  hurried  examination  is 
made  of  the  clothing,  and  then  if  nothing  is  found,  he 
carefully  and  swiftly  inserts  his  bare  arm  under  the 
pillow,  and  silently  draws  forth  the  coveted  wallet. 
A  first-class  thief  of  this  branch  of  the  profession  will 
never  take  jewelry  under  any  circumstances.  Securing 
the  wallet  he  makes  his  way  on  the  outside  to  his  own 
state-room,  and  then  applies  what  is  known  as  the 
"weeding"  process.  "  Weeding"  consists  in  extract 
ing  all  the  large  bills  from  the  wallet,  and  substituting 
small  ones — with  which  he  is  always  supplied — so 
that  the  bulk  will  be  about  the  same  as  it  was  before. 
Hastily  returning  to  the  victim's  state-room,  he  replaces 
the  wallet,  and  then  seeks  for  other  prey — all  of  which 
are  treated  in  a  similar  manner  until  prudence  calls  a 
halt.  The  advantage  of  this  "weeding"  operation  is, 
that  passengers  usually  carry  sufficient  small  change 
in  their  pockets  to  defray  the  expenses  incidental  to 


j  70  STEA  fiTBOA T    OPERA  / 

their  trips,  and  rinding  their  wallet  or  pocket  book 
apparently  in  the  same  condition  as  they  left  it — their 
loss  is  seldom  discovered  until  they  leave  the  boat, 
and  then,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  thief  has  vanished 
to  parts  unknown,  and  the  poor  victim  is  utterly 
unable  to  account  for  the  strange  metamorphosis  which 
has  taken  place  in  his  money. 

Should  the  loss,  however,  be  discovered  before  the 
landing  of  the  boat,  and  an  alarm  sounded,  the  thief 
himself  is  among  the  loudest  to  proclaim  his  own  loss, 
and  to  demand  restitution  from  the  officers  or  the 
immediate  apprehension  oi  the  unscrupulous  appro- 
priator  of  his  money. 

The  reason  for  putting  on  the  crape  mask,  after 
the  thief  enters  the  state-room  of  his  victim,  is  that  in 
case  he  finds  the  occupant  awake,  he  immediately 
steps  back,  and  begging  the  gentleman's  pardon,  says 
that  he  was  just  returning  from  the  water-closet,  and 
has  made  a  mistake  in  the  room.  If  this  excuse  is 
received  in  good  part  by  the  disturbed  passenger,  all 
is  well  and  he  continues  in  his  work— never,  however, 
troubling  that  party  again  during  the  night.  If,  on  the 
contrary,  the  wakeful  voyager  is  suspicious,  the  thief 
stops  his  labors  at  once,  immediately  retires  to  bed, 
and  he  will  leave  the  boat  at  the  first  landing  that  is 
made.  It  will  be  seen  therefore  that  the  excuse  of 
mistaking  the  room  for  his  own  would  prove  a  very 


STEVMBOAT    OPERATORS,  171 

absurd  one,  if  the  person  making  it,  presented  himself 
with  a  crape  mask  upon  his  face. 

The  rapidity  and  expertness  of  these  thieves  are 
remarkable,  and  frequently  but  a  few  seconds  are 
required  to  relieve  a  sleeper  of  his  money  pouch,  and 
in  a  half  hour's  active  work,  a  thief  can  rob  a  dozen 
rooms  and  effect  all  the  changes  and  returns  that  are 
necessary  to  secure  him  from  suspicion  or  detection. 
It  is  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  that  none  but  the  most 
expert  professionals  adopt  this  line  of  operation. 
Many  cases  have  been  reported  to  me  in  which  the 
despoiled  traveler  did  not  discover  his  loss  until  he 
had  reached  his  destination,  and  frequently  his  home 
—and  consequently,  but  little  publicity  was  given  to 
the  robbery.  This,  it  is  needless  to  say,  is  much  to 
the  advantage  of  both  the  successful  thief  and  the 
corrupt  watchman,  for  in  case  of  immediate  discovery 
an  investigation  would  be  made,  the  result  of  which 
would  be  disastrous  to  the  individual  whose  duty  it 
was  to  be  on  the  alert,  and  to  preserve  the  safety  of 
the  sleeping  voyagers. 

There  are,  however,  a  few  river  thieves  who  may 
be  regarded  as  second-rate  operators,  and  these  in- 
dividvals  will  rob  a  passenger  of  everything  in  sight; 
money,  jewelry,  papers,  and  anything  that  purports  to 
be  of  value  ;  but  never  nfrt"ornr>1'  i-n  take  anything  fr^m 


172  STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS. 

under  the  pillows  of  their  victims  from  their  lack  of  suf 
ficient  nerve,  and  the  necessary  amount  of  experience. 

Should  a  first-class  thief  discover  one  of  this  latter 
character  on  a  boat,  and  he  is  quick  to  do  so,  he  at 
once  approaches  him,  and  firmly  cautions  him  against 
carrying  on  his  depredations  while  on  the  trip,  and 
then,  with  a  burst  of  generosity,  will  bestow  upon  him 
a  sum  of  money,  and  promise  more  when  the  trip  is 
over,  and  the  work  is  done.  This  caution  is  always 
accepted,  and  by  this  means  he  prevents  the  mistakes 
of  an  inexpert  operator,  whose  detection  would  be 
compromising  to  himself,  and  secures  the  privilege  of 
monopolizing  all  the  fat  wallets  which  may  be  within 
the  range  of  his  operations. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  be  secure  from  the  depreda 
tions  of  these  marauders,  I  would  warn  all  passengers 
upon  the  river  boats,  to  carefully  secure  their  money 
and  valuables  about  their  persons,  and  to  lock  their 
doors  carefully  when  retiring.  In  these  days  of  de 
pravity  and  wickedness  it  is  dangerous  to  trust  to  any 
ideas  of  assured  safety,  and  the  necessity  for  caution 
in  making  traveling  acquaintances  is  always  immi 
nent.  The  smoothest  tongue,  and  the  fairest  face 
may  belong  to  the  most  desperate  criminal,  and  an 
intimacy  is  sure  to  result  in  disaster. 

I  remember  a  case  which  occurred  some  years  ago, 
when  gambling  was  much  practiced  upon  these  boats, 


STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS.  173 

and  when  large  sums  of  money  were  frequently  won 
and  lost  upon  a  single  night.  Upon  the  occasion  I 
refer  to,  there  were  three  noted  gamblers  upon  the 
boat,  and  during  the  evening  these  men  succeeded  in 
each  winning  a  considerable  amount  of  money  from 
their  unsuspecting  fellow  passengers.  On  the  boat 
was  a  middle-aged  clergyman,  whose  smoothly- 
shaven  face  and  sanctimonious  air  proclaimed  him  to 
be  one  of  the  most  orthodox  of  religious  teachers.  In 
quiet  but  decided  tones  he  condemned  the  practice  of 
gambling,  and  with  solemn  words  of  warning  he  en 
deavored  to  induce  his  companions  to  desist  from 
indulging  in  the  vices  and  hazards  of  play,  all  to  no 
avail,  however.  The  fascination  was  too  great  to 
be  overcome,  and  with  a  sad  face  the  holy  man  with 
drew  from  the  cabin,  and  sought  communion  with  his 
thoughts  on  deck.  When  midnight  arrived,  however, 
and  the  games  were  closed,  many  of  the  passengers, 
whose  whitened  faces  and  glassy  eyes  betokened  loss 
and  remorse,  were  inclined  to  wish  that  they  had  lis 
tened  to  the  admonitions  of  the  warning  clergyman. 
In  the  morning  there  was  a  loud  alarm,  and  a  hue  and 
cry  that  rivalled  bedlam  with  its  confusion.  The 
winning-  gamblers  were  wild  and  furious  ;  oaths  and 

o     o 

imprecations  broke  from  their  lips  in  an  incessant  tor 
rent,  and  dire  vengeance  was  threatened  upon  some 
one  whose  actions  had  caused  this  strange  uproar. 


174  STEAMBOAT    OPERATORS. 

Inquiry  developed  the  fact  that  during  the  night  the 
state-rooms  of  the  successful  gamblers  had  been  en 
tered.  They  had  drank  deeply,  and  therefore  slept 
soundly,  and  when  they  awoke  in  the  morning,  they 
discovered  to  their  dismay  that  their  enormous  win 
nings  of  the  night  before,  together  with  their  own 
money,  had  disappeared.  An  investigation  followed, 
and  then  it  transpired  that  the  solemn  faced  clergy 
man  had  left  the  boat  just  about  daylight,  and  had 
left  behind  him  in  his  state-room  the  following  epistle  : 

"  To  the  children  of  the  Evil  One  : — Beware  of 
the  vices  of  gambling  ;  for  if  you  earn  the  wages  of 
sin,  the  Christian  minister  will  levy  the  toll  of  the 
devil.  ELDER  SHORTSNIFFLE." 

This,  no  doubt,  fully  explained  the  cause  of  the 
disappearance  of  the  money,  and  the  departure  of  the 
robber.  The  clerical  looking  monitor  had  decamped 
with  nearly  fourteen  thousand  dollars,  and,  so  far  as 
I  know,  was  never  apprehended. 


HOUSE  BREAKING. 


HOUSE  BREAKING  AS  A  FINE  ART. 

House  Breaking  as  a  Fine  Art. — A  Quotation  from  Dickens. —  The 
English  and  American  Professional  Contrasted, — Preparations 
and  Places — A  Kit  of  Tools. — Gaining  an  Entrance. —  The 
Jointed  Key. — Large  Footprints. — Servants  as  Accomplices. — 
"  Over  the  Garden  Wall" 

AMONG  the  numerous  branches  of  crimimal 
practice  in  existence  at  the  present  day,  there 
is  one  that  seems  destined  never  to  die  out  or  to  fall 
into  disuse,  as  long  as  humanity  abide  in  habitations. 
From  the  very  first  inception  of  crime,  this  particular 
class,  viz  :  the  house  burglars  and  midnight  robbers, 
have  existed,  and  their  operations  reach  all  classes  of 
the  community.  Anyone,  be  they  of  high  or  low 
degree,  who  may  unfortunately  possess  anything 
worth  stealing,  is  liable  to  the  unexpected  and  unwel 
come  visits  of  the  house-breaker  and  the  burglar. 
Locks  and  chains,  bolts  and  bars,  alike  are  of  no 

[175] 


176  HOUSE    BREAKING. 

avail  in  preventing  the  entrance  of  these  midnight 
robbers.  When  darkness  and  silence  are  brooding 
over  the  city — when  happy  families  have  composed 
themselves  for  the  peaceful  slumbers  which  a  day  of 
toil  has  earned,  the  cracksman  sallies  forth,  and 
while  a  world  is  wrapt  in  dreams,  he  noiselessly  pur 
sues  his  ignoble  calling.  Silently  he  plunders  his 
-unconscious  victims,  and  then  stealing  away  he  leaves 
to  the  light  and  sunshine  of  another  day  the  disco  very 
of  his  visit  and  the  losses  which  have  followed  his 
intrusion. 

Dickens  has  immortalized  a  Bill  Sykes  and  a 
Toby  Crackitt,  and  through  his  wonderful  genius  we 
have  learned  much  of  the  social  life  of  this  class  of 
criminals,  and  it  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  these  two 
characters  are  not  isolated  instances  or  mere  crea 
tures  of  the  imagination.  Every  city  is  swarming 
with  a  horde  of  these  reckless  men  who  live  by  plun 
dering  their  unfortunate  neighbors  in  the  darkness  of 
the  night. 

Sleeping  or  carousing  during  the  day,  when 
honest  men  are  toiling  for  the  rewards  of  their  labor, 
and  the  sustenance  of  life — these  desperate  prowlers 
crawl  from  their  lairs  when  the  midnight  bells  are 
tolling,  and  like  the  wolves  of  the  forest  seek  their 
prey. 

To   prevent   the   depredations   of   these    thieves 


HOUSE    BREAKING.  177 

seems  to  be  almost  impossible,  and  incessant  vigi 
lance  and  prompt  punishments  when  detected  have 
proven  to  be  the  only  safeguards  against  their  suc 
cessful  operations.  While  therefore,  I  am  unable  to 
prescribe  the  infallible  ounce  of  prevention,  I  may 
at  least  suggest  the  homely  pound  of  cure,  and  by 
acquainting  the  public  with  the  mode  of  operation  of 
these  criminals,  I  may  serve  to  promote  the  detection 
of  the  offenders  by  showing  how  their  depredations 
are  committed. 

Romance  and  tradition  have  for  a  long  period  of 
time,  accredited  the  cracksmen  with  being  the  most 
expert  in  their  profession,  but  the  experiences  of  late 
years  have  dispelled  this  delusion,  and  English  and 
American  detectives  alike,  have  conceded  that  for 
perfect  and  ingenious  work  the  American  house 
breaker  is  far  more  expert  and  daring  than  his  trans 
atlantic  competitor.  This  distinction  is  by  no  means 
an  honorable  one,  but  that  it  is  justly  deserved,  the 
records  and  detective  experiences  of  both  countries 
abundantly  prove. 

The  English  burglar  spends  more  time  in  watch 
ing  and  locating  the  policemen  and  watchmen  upon 
the  outside  of  the  premises  he  designs  to  enter,  and 
in  getting  his  numerous  and  superfluous  tools  ready 
for  manipulation,  than  the  American  would  require  to 
effect  an  entrance  and  rob  an  entire  house.  The 


i78  HOUSE    BREAKING. 

English  thief,  like  his  more  honest  compatriot,  is 
slow,  methodical,  and  above  all,  a  devotee  to  rule  and 
precision.  The  American,  on  the  contrary,  only  con 
siders  the  quickest  practical  way  of  securing  his 
object  and  adopts  it  at  once.  The  Briton  invariably 
travels  with  his  gang  of  three  and  often  four  mem 
bers,  while  the  Yankee  in  any  case  never  requires, 
and  will  not  accept  the  services  of  more  than  a  single 
partner.  The  case  has  yet  to  be  recorded  where  an 
English  cracksman  ever  attempted  a  midnight  rob 
bery  alone  and  unassisted,  but  the  instances  are 
numerous  where  an  American  burglar  has  repeatedly 
effected  hazardous  operations  without  aid  or  help 
from  any  one.  These,  of  course,  are  cases  in  which 
the  most  expert  or  the  most  reckless  have  distin 
guished  themselves,  but  as  a  general  rule  the  Ameri 
can  house-breakers  travel  in  couples  and  their  work 
is  usually  quickly,  cleverly  and  thoroughly  executed. 
Of  late  years,  through  the  vigilance  of  the  police 
and  detective  authorities,  the  residents  of  large  and 
populous  cities  have  rarely  been  troubled  by  these 
unwelcome  visitors,  but  those  of  the  larger  towns  and 
villages  are  perpetual  sufferers  from  their  unexpected 
incursions.  American  burglars  of  the  advanced  type 
of  the  present  day,  have  been  known  to  deliberately 
plan  a  complete  tour  of  burglaries,  and.  their  track 
could  be  legibly  traced  from  New  York  to  Chicago, 


HOUSE    BREAKING.  vjg 

and  the  more  ambitious  and  thriving  villages  of  the 
far  West.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that  these  are 
mere  random  selections,  or  the  result  of  ignorant 
guess  work.  On  the  contrary,  every  house  that  has 
been  entered  along  the  route  has  been  carefully 
examined  in  advance,  and  the  preliminaries  arranged 
with  a  nice  regard  for  successful  and  fruitful  results. 
The  usual  plan  of  these  knights  of  darkness,  who 
decide  to  work  their  way  through  the  country,  is  to 
delegate  one  of  their  number  to  travel  in  advance,  and 
by  stopping  a  day  or  two  in  each  place,  and  mak 
ing  ingenious  inquiries  from  the  keepers  of  saloons, 
hotel  clerks  and  others,  gain  a  complete  knowledge 
of  the  wealth  and  habits  of  the  most  prominent  resi 
dents  of  the  localities  in  which  he  may  rest.  Obtain 
ing  this  necessary  information,  this  advance  agent 
awaits  the  arrival  of  his  partners,  and  when  they  ap 
pear  upon  the  scene  he  points  out  to  them  the  most 
available  objects  of  attack,  acquaints  them  with  the 
details  he  has  acquired,  and  then  leaves  the  town 
himself,  upon  the  next  train.  The  reason  for  this  is 
that  should  the  mysterious  appearance  and  questions 
of  this  man  lead  to  his  being  suspected,  should  he  be 
hunted  down  in  the  event  of  a  pursuit,  he  can  readily 
prove  that  at  the  time  the  robbery  was  committed, 
he  was  far  distant  from  the  scene,  and  quietly  enjoy 
ing  himself  at  a  hotel  in  an  entirely  different  locality. 


i8o  HOUSE    BREAKING. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  would  be  impossible  to 
connect  him  with  the  crime,  and  his  innocence  is 
clearly  established. 

Another  consideration  of  importance  to  the 
thieves,  is  to  select  a  town  where  a  railroad  train  will 
pass  through  during  the  early  hours  of  the  morning, 
as  this  enables  them  to  get  safely  away,  frequently 
before  the  robbery  is  discovered,  and  certainly  before 
suspicion  attaches  to  them.  As  they  are  not  burdened 
with  any  amount  of  superfluous  tools  or  baggage, 
and  never  carry  away  any  stolen  articles  but  money, 
bonds  or  valuable  jewelry,  their  appearance  would 
not  be  noticeable  and  their  baggage  would  be  light. 

If  the  burglars  are  about  to  attempt  operations 
upon  a  place,  about  which  they  have  received  no 
definite  information,  and  are  in  ignorance  of  the 
general  character  and  wealth  of  their  victims,  they 
usually  select  some  first-class  block,  and  if  there  is 
an  empty  house  in  the  vicinity,  they  will  enter  this, 
and  then  from  the  rear  of  this  building  operate  upon 
their  chosen  mark  from  the  back  entrance.  If,  how 
ever,  the  houses  are  all  occupied,  which  is  generally 
the  case,  they  will  endeavor  to  secure  a  furnished 
room  or  board  and  lodging  in  some  part  of  the  block 
in  question,  and  if  they  succeed  in  this,  they  make  it 
a  rule  never  to  attempt  to  rob  any  of  the  inmates  of 
the  house  in  which  they  may  be  domiciled,  no 


HOUSE    BREAKING.  181 

matter  how  great  the  temptation,  for  this  would  at 
once  lay  them  open  to  suspicion. 

The  tools  which  are  used  by  an  expert  American 
house-breaker  are  very  few,  and  consist  of  a  very 
light  and  ingeniously  constructed  folding  ladder, 
about  thirteen  feet  long,  which  can  be  folded  up  to 
the  length  of  two  feet,  and  readily  packed  in  an 
ordinary  trunk  or  valise,  two  small  jimmies,  a  pair 
of  nippers,  a  small  gimlet,  a  set  of  small  bureau  picks, 
a  joint$4  k@y,  a  thin  glaze  knife,  some  common 
matches  and  a  few  yards  of  strong  twine.  Thus 
equipped,  he  is  prepared  to  plunder  an  entire  town, 
if  sufficient  time  is  afforded  him. 

If  the  burglars  have  secured  lodgings  in  the  block, 
they  generally  commence  operations  as  early  as 
possible  after  the  inmates  have  retired  to  rest.  The 
man  who  is  to  enter  the  building  dresses  himself  in 
soft  woolen  clothes,  they  making  little  or  no  noise 
in  the  apartment  of  the  sleepers  upon  whom  he 
intends  to  work.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  in 
the  stillness  o£  midnight  or  the  early  hours  of  the 
mo-rning,  the  rustling  noise  made  by  a  starched  white 
shirt  has  frequently  aroused  the  sleeper,  particularly 
if  a  female,  from  a  sound  slumber,  and  has  often  led 
to  detection.  On  entering  the  house  the  burglar 
immediately  discards  his  shoes  and  operates  in  his 
stocking  feet. 


iS2  HOUSR    BREAKING. 

After  thus  preparing  themselves,  the  thief  to 
whom  has  been  delegated  the  performance  of  the 
outside  work,  quietly  leaves  his  room,  and  sneaking 
down  stairs  opens  the  back  door.  Ascertaining  that 
the  coast  is  clear,  he  gives  the  signal  to  his  compan 
ion,  who,  taking  his  folding  ladder  and  other  tools 
with  him,  also  descends  to  the  yard  of  the  premises 
they  occupy. 

Preferring  to  work  as  far  away  from  their  own 
quarters  as  possible,  they  scale  several  intervening 
fences  or  light  walls,  until  they  reach  the  desired 
house,  and  then  commence  their  work  upon  the  back 
door.  If  this  door  is  not  bolted  an  entrance  is  effect 
ed  in  a  moment,  but  if  it  is  thus  secured,  they  have 
recourse  to  the  window — and  if  that  can  be  readily 
opened  with  the  glaze  knife,  they  gain  admittance  to 
the  house  as  quickly  as  they  could  do  had  they  used 
their  nippers  upon  the  lock  of  the  door. 

If  the  window,  however,  is  tight  or  swollen,  and 
the  glaze  knife  cannot  be  used,  and  if  the  wind  is 
favorable,  they  noiselessly  raise  their  folding  ladder 
to  the  sill  of  the  window  upon  the  next  floor.  This 
occupies  but  a  few  minutes,  and  as  these  windows  are 
seldom  fastened,  many  of  them  not  being  supplied 
with  any  fastenings  whatever,  they  speedily  effect  an 
entrance.  As  soon  as  they  have  entered  the  build 
ing  in  this  manner,  the  thief  makes  his  way  down  stairs 


HOUSE    BREAKING.  183 

and  quietly  unfastens  the  front  parlor  window  and 
shutters.  This  is  done  in  order  to  deceive  the  inmates 
of  the  house  and  the  police  authorities,  for  when 
an  examination  takes  place,  they  invariably  arrive  at 
the  conclusion  that  the  robbers  must  have  gained 
an  entrance  from  the  front — never  for  a  moment 
suspecting  any  of  their  neighbors,  as  the  back  door 
and  rear  part  of  the  house  is  always  found  intact. 

His  next  move  is  to  unbolt  the  back  door,  and  if 
the  fences  can  be  scaled  easily  or  there  is  an  alley 
way  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  he  folds  up  his  ladder 
and  sends  it  back  to  their  lodgings  by  the  outside 
worker.  As  soon  as  the  outside  man  has  returned 
the  ladder  safely  to  his  quarters,  he  hurries  back,  and 
is  then  stationed  at  the  front  door  on  the  inside. 
Drawing  the  bolts,  he  stands  with  the  key  in  his  hand 
ready  for  an  alarm.  Should  this  be  given  by  the  in 
side  thief  while  he  is  at  work  up  stairs,  his  companion 
instantly  unlocks  the  front  door  and  throws  it  open, 
and  then  quickly  and  noiselessly  springs  for  the  back 
door.  Opening  this  door,  and  stepping  into  the  yard 
he  inserts  his  nippers  over  the  key  from  the  outside, 
and  when  his  disturbed  partner  appears  and  passes 
out,  he  closes  the  door  gently  and  locks  it  from  the 
outside  with  the  nippers".  They  then  sneak  away 
and  return  to  bed  as  quietly  and  easily  as  though 
nothing  unusual  had  occurred. 


1 84  HOUSE    BREAKING. 

If  a  policeman  is  attracted  by  the  alarm  and 
makes  an  investigation,  on  finding  the  front  door 
open  he  naturally  infers  that  the  burglars  have  es 
caped  by  that  means  of  exit,  and  in  this  view  he  is 
sustained  by  the  inmates  of  the  house  who  have  found 
the  back  doors  and  windows  securely  locked  and 
fastened. 

After  a  thief  has  entered  a  house  and  commenced 
to  work,  the  first  and  most  important  question  is  to 
discover  where  the  valuables  are  kept.  As  the  front 
sleeping-room  upon  the  second  floor  is  usually  occu 
pied  by  the  head  of  the  family,  this  is  generally  the 
first  point  of  attack.  If  the  door  is  simply  locked, 
the  nippers  are  brought  into  play  and  the  key  is 
turned  as  softly  as  though  operated  upon  the  other 
side,  and  the  door  is  opened.  Sometimes  the  door  is 
fastened  with  a  bolt  and  then  the  ''jointed  key"  is 
used.  This  instrument  is  shaped  and  formed  as 
follows  : 


HOUSE    BREAKING.  185 

A  represents  the  stock — B  the  inside  lever — C  the 
joint — and  D  is  a  wire  attached  to  the  end  of  the 
lever  to  draw  it  down  when  inside  the  door. 

Obtaining  the  location  of  the  holt  a  hole  is  bored 
through  the  cloor,  sufficiently  large  to  admit  the  key. 
The  joint  then  having  passed  through  the  door,  the 
wire  is  drawn  and  the  lever  is  thus  brought  to  a  right 
angle  with  the  stock  of  the  key,  and  directly  against 
the  handle  of  the  bolt.  A  "  simple  twist  of  the  wrist  " 
is  all  that  is  necessary  and  the  bolt  is  shot  back. 

Some  people,  however,  have  this  doors  fastened 
with  a  bolt  and  chain,  a  staple  being  fastened  in  the 
door  post  to  hold  the  end  of  the  chain  and  the  other 
end  of  the  chain  being  placed  in  a  slide,  which  is 
fastened  upon  the  inside  of  the  door.  This  chain 
admits  of  the  door  being  opened  a  certain  distance, 
but  not  sufficiently  wide  to  permit  a  man  to  enter. 
The  burglar's  methods  of  overcoming  this  obstacle,  are 
simple  and  invariably  successful.  He  simply  opens 
the  door  wide  enough  for  him  to  obtain  the  location 
of  the  bolt,  and  then  boring  a  small  gimlet  hole  over 
the  spot — a  strong  thin  wire  is  inserted  through  the 
hole  and  attached  to  the  knob  of  the  slide.  The  door 
is  then  closed  and  a  gentle  pull  upon  the  wire  draws 
the  chain  from  the  slide  and  it  drops  down,  thus  allow 
ing  free  and  uninterrupted  entrance  to  the  ingenious 
burglar. 


1 86  HOUSE    BREAKING. 

Once  in  the  room  the  clothing  of  the  gentleman 
of  the  house  is  carefully  searched.  Bureau  drawers 
are  noiselessly  opened  by  the  aid  of  lockpicks,  and 
pillows  are  carefully  examined  for  hidden  valuables. 
Thus  from  one  room  to  another,  the  thief  makes  his 
tour  of  the  inviting  portions  of  the  house,  and  when 
he  has  finished  his  investigations,  he  joins  his  "pal" 
at  the  front  door. 

They  then  take  their  departure  by  the  back  door, 
which  they  carefully  lock  behind  them,  and  should 
time  permit  they  will  make  an  attempt  upon  another 
house  in  the  same  locality. 

Sometimes  in  working   on   houses,   that   are  sur- 

o 

rounded  by  soft  and  yielding  ground,  in  which  the 
shoes  they  wear  would  make  an  impression  which 
might  lead  to  detection,  they  wear  extraordinarily 
large  shoes,  and  after  getting  a  short  distance  from 
the  spot,  throw  them  into  a  neighboring  well.  As  a 
general  thing,  should  the  footmarks  be  noticed,  suspi 
cion  falls  upon  some  negro,  as  a  white  man  would 
scarcely  wear  such  mammoth  foot  covers  as  those 
whose  impressions  are  left  in  the  ground. 

The  devices  resorted  to  by  the  house  breaker  are 
both  numerous  and  ingenious  and  vary  from  the  ideas 
given  above,  as  the  necessity  of  the  emergency  requires. 
Sometimes  their  entrance  is  effected  through  the 
scuttle  in  the  roof,  which  they  are  enabled  to  reach 


HOUSE    BREAKING.  187 

by  securing  an  unoccupied  house  in  the  vicinity,  and 
then  by  crawling  over  the  roofs  of  the  intervening 
houses,  reach  their  points  of  attack  without  attracting 
the  attention  of  any  one  upon  the  street.  In  these 
cases,  as  in  all  others,  measures  are  at  once  taken  to 
provide  a  means  of  escape,  and  before  operations  are 
commenced,  the  front  door  and  other  points  of  egress 
are  carefully  prepared  for  their  departure.  In  case  of 
detection  while  at  work,  the  thief  will  never  retire 
through  the  roof,  but  will  endeavor  to  mislead  both 
the  police  and  the  inmates  of  the  house,  by  opening 
the  front  door  and  escaping  at  the  rear. 

Back  windows  are  frequently  pried  open  with  the 
aid  of  the  strong  and  ingeniously  constructed  "jimmy," 
and  in  some  cases  the  burglar  obtains  admission  to  a 
house  in  the  daytime  and  conceals  himself  in  some 
unoccupied  room  until  the  family  have  retired,  when 
he  issues  from  his  place  of  hiding  and  ransacks  the 
premises.  Dishonest  servant-girls  too,  have  proven 
of  valuable  assistance  to  these  thieves,  and  through 
their  efforts,  burglars  have  gained  an  entrance  into 
premises  which  otherwise  would  have  resisted  their 
most  persistent  efforts.  It  has  frequently  been  devel 
oped  that  these  girls  have  been  the  wives,  mistresses 
and  relatives  of  the  thieves,  and  that  they  have 
engaged  service  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  further 
the  efforts  of  the  men  with  whom  they  were  associ- 


i88  HOUSE    BREAKING. 

ated.  to   plunder   the    families    who   have    employed 
them. 

Of  course  there  are  innumerable  other  methods 
adopted  by  this  fraternity  of  dishonest  men  and 
women,  and  their  processes  vary  according  to  the 
skill  and  ability  of  the  parties  engaging  in  the  work. 
From  boys  in  their  teens  to  men  whose  hairs  are 
whitened  with  age,  the  ranks  of  the  house-breakers 
are  filled,  and  their  efforts  against  the  public  safety 
are  unceasing. 

o 

I  have  thus  described  the  general  mode  of  work 
ing  of  the  expert  house-breaker  of  the  present  day, 
although  much  of  their  success  depends  upon  the 
quick  and  noiseless  movements  of  the  thief  himself, 
which  are  impossible  of  description  and  must  be  left 
to  the  imagination  of  the  reader.  To  be  able  to  pick 
a  lock,  to  open  a  bureau  drawer  and  rifle  its  con 
tents,  to  search  beneath  the  pillow  of  a  sleeping  vic 
tim,  are  all  points  of  the  profession  upon  \vhich  I 
cannot  dilate  intelligently,  but  that  these  men  are 
constantly  plying  their  vocations  is  fully  proven  by  the 
records  of  our  daily  journals. 

To  house-keepers,  therefore,  I  say,  do  not  neg 
lect  the  proper  safe-guards  before  retiring  for  the 
night,  and  in  case  of  detecting  robbers  in  your  house, 
do  not  search  for  your  thief  from  the  front  door,  be 
cause  you  find  it  open,  or  upon  the  street ;  but  rather 


HOUSE    BREAKING.  189 

seek  the  rear  of  your  premises,  and  the  chances  are 
largely  in  favor  of  finding  the  disturbers  of  your  sleep 
and  the  plunderers  of  your  home,  engaged  in  the  at 
tempt  of  scaling  your  fence  and  escaping  by  that 
means,  to  their  convenient  hiding-place  in  the  imme 
diate  vicinity. 


CONFIDENCE  AND  BLACKMAIL. 


A  social  Leper. —  The  Confidence  man  about  Town. — A  Confidence 
man  "  Confide  need" — Purchasing  Witnesses. —  The  Medical 
Charlatan  and  his  Merchant  Dupe. — A  Pretty  Law-breaker. — 
The  Blackmailer  s  End. 

OF  all  the  criminals  of  which  I  have  attempted  to 
write,  the  most  insidious  and  pernicious  are 
the  confidence  man  or  woman  and  the  blackmailer. 
The  confidence  operator  of  which  I  shall  speak  first, 
is  one  of  t':ose  insinuating  personages  who  approach 
unsuspicious  people  in  their  daily  walks,  and  some 
times  at  their  places  of  business,  and  who  by  artfully 
identifying  themselves  with  their  personal  affairs  and 
business  arrangements  endeavor  to  so  win  their  con 
fidence  that  they  may  impose  upon  their  credulity  to 
their  own  dishonest  profit. 

The  confidence  game  is  generally  practiced  in 
large  cities,  and  upon  verdant  looking  strangers, 
whose  manners  and  attire  evince  the  easy-going  and 
susceptible  victim,  though  occasionally  he  will  be 

!  '  y  > } 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL,  191 

found  traveling  through  the  country,  and  imposing 
upon  the  honest  and  industrious  farmers  and  coun 
try  store-keepers.  One  of  the  latest  dodges  of  the 
confidence  man  has  been  recently  brought  to  light,  in 
which  it  was  found  that  several  wealthy  farmers  had 
been  defrauded  by  the  \viles  of  this  fraudulent  prac 
titioner.  The  operator,  in  this  instance,  was  a  fine 
looking  and  clerical  appearing  old  gentleman,  who 
traveled  through  several  counties  in  Illinois,  and  who 
pretended  to  be  engaged  in  buying  sheep  from  the 
breeders  in  that  section  of  the  country.  In  addition 
to  this  occupation,  the  venerable  old  swindler  an 
nounced  himself  as  a  warm  advocate  of  certain  need 
ful  reforms  of  a  public  nature,  in  which  all  good  citi 
zens  ought  to  be  interested.  He  carried  with  him  a 
number  of  petitions  addressed  to  the  legislature  of 
the  state,  requesting  them,  among  other  things,  to  re 
duce  taxation,  and  the  salaries  of  public  officers,  and 
one  to  tax  church  property  the  same  as  other  real 
estate.  As  may  be  imagined,  he  obtained  numerous 
signatures  to  such  important  documents,  and,  in 
many  instances,  he  succeeded  in  deftly  transforming 
the  simple  petition,  which  the  public-spirited  farmer 
had  duly  signed,  into  a  promissory  note  for  a  moder 
ate  sum  of  money,  on  which  the  signature  of  the 
farmer  could  not  be  disputed,  from  any  doubt  of  its 
genuineness.  These  notes  would  then  be  transferred 


i92  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

to  innocent  purchasers,  whose  knowledge  of  the 
makers  of  the  notes,  was  such  that  they  willingly  re 
ceived  their  promises  to  pay,  and  loaned  their  money 
without  a  moment's  hesitation.  By  this  little  scheme 
the  daring  swindler  realized  several  thousand  dollars 
before  his  operations  were  detected,  and  by  that  time 
the  smooth-tongued  confidence  man  had  disappeared 
effectually  from  the  neighborhood  and  all  search  for 
him  proved  fruitless. 


A  SOCIAL  LEPER. 

CRIME,  I  regret  to  say,  is  not  entirely  confined  to 
the  male  portion  of  humanity.  It  is  true  that  a 
woman  does  not  often  make  a  successful  burglar  or 

o 

bank-robber.  She  is  scarcely,  if  ever,  discovered  in 
attempts  at  forgery  or  garroting,  but  there  are  many 
other  phases  of  criminality  in  which  she  figures 
prominently,  and  with  as  much  effrontery  as  a  man. 
I  am  reluctant  to  confess  it,  but  her  fair  fingers  have 
more  than  once  been  bathed  in  blood,  and  even  when 
not  an  active  participant  in  murder,  how  many  times 
has  she  appeared  if  not  as  a  conspiring  abettor,  at 
least  as  the  primary  and  impelling  cause.  A  visit  to 
our  prisons  will  convince  the  most  doubtful,  of  the 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  193 

truth  of  this  statement,  and  there  will  be  found  num 
bers  of  the  so-called  "  fair  sex  "  who  have  lived  long 
lives  of  sin  and  shame. 

Her  favorite  occupation,  when  criminally  inclined, 
seems  to  be  that  of  the  sneak  thief,  the  pick-pocket, 
the  confidence  woman,  and  the  blackmailer — the  last 
being  one  of  the  most  pernicious  of  criminal  practices, 
and  it  will  be  found  that,  like  the  criminal  man,  the 
criminal  woman  preys  upon  humanity  with  all  the 
rapacity  of  the  vulture. 

One  of  this  latter  class  lately  came  under  my 
observation,  and  her  experiences  I  will  relate  here. 
For  genuine  romantic  deviltry,  and  unscrupulousness, 
her  equal  is  very  rare,  and  yet  she  pursued  her  way  so 
quietly,  that  few,  except  those  immediately  concerned 
in  her  movements,  were  aware  even  of  her  existence. 
Helen  Graham  was  the  name  she  assumed,  and  she 
was  truly  a  beautiful  woman.  Her  eyes,  which  were 
large  and  of  the  color  of  the  hazel,  beamed  with  a 
bright  softness  that  won  the  hearts  of  those  around 
her.  Her  fair  face  was  crowned  with  a  wealth  of  hair, 
and  her  cheeks  flushed  with  the  ruddy  hue  of  health 
and  beauty.  Her  voice  was  low  and  musically  sweet 
and  plaintive,  while  her  language  and  address  were 
full  of  that  refinement  which  only  education  can  give. 
Her  slight  but  graceful  figure,  was  draped  with  a 
quiet  taste  that  was  at  once  becoming  and  attractive, 

9 


i94  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

and  in  fact,  to  all  outward  appearances  Helen  Gra 
ham  was  a  lovely  woman,  who  might  have  gathered 
around  her  hosts  of  friends  and  admirers,  and  shone 
in  the  most  brilliant  circles  of  refined  society. 

And  yet  despite  all  these  advantages  and  attrac 
tions,  this  beautiful  woman,  at  the  time  I  write  of  her, 
was  arraigned  as  a  criminal,  and  was  compelled  to 
answer  for  a  crime  which  she  had  committed.  Her 
eyes  were  filled  with  tears,  and  in  a  sobbing  voice  she 
entered  her  plea  of  "  not  guilty."  As  she  sank  back  into 
her  seat,  and  buried  her  face  in  her  handkerchief,  she 
was  the  object  of  universal  sympathy.  She  was  ac- 
cussed  of  assaulting  a  prominent  and  respectable 
citizen  of  New  York,  in  a  manner  which  might  have 
resulted  in  serious  consequence.  She  had  thrown 
into  his  face  a  package  of  cayenne  pepper,  and  when 
arrested  for  this  offense,  had  openly  accused  the  as 
saulted  man  of  insulting  her  by  making  indecent  pro 
posals  to  her. 

As  may  be  imagined  a  charge  of  this  character 
urged  against  a  gentleman  whose  high  honor  and  re 
spectability  had  been  above  reproach,  had  the  effect 
of  injuring  him  to  a  great  degree,  not  only  in  his  busi 
ness,  but  among  his  social  acquaintances.  Friends 
were  estranged  from  him,  and  he  was  regarded  with 
disfavor  by  many  who  had  heretofore  courted  his 
friendship  and  admired  his  sterling  qualities.  His 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  195 

only  defensive  course,  therefore,  was  to  cause  the  ar 
rest  of  his  fair  assailant,  the  maintenance  of  his  own 
character  required  it,  and  the  preservation  of  his  good 
name  rendered  it  a  necessity. 

Howard  Ingalls  was  the  name  of  the  gentleman 
who  thus  appeared  as  the  accuser  of  the  beautiful 
prisoner,  who  had  excited  the  admiration  and  the 
sympathy  of  those  who  had  gathered  to  hear  the 
particulars  of  her  trial.  As  this  gentleman  arose  to 
give  his  testimony,  it  was  noticed  that  his  face  wore  a 
careworn  look,  which  bespoke  the  great  mental  suf 
fering  which  the  vile  charges  of  this  woman  had  occa 
sioned  him. 

In  a  frank,  honest  manner,  Mr.  Ingalls  related  his 
story.  The  young  lady  had  called  upon  him  at  his 
office  and  had  asked  him  for  a  situation,  at  the  same 
time  relating  a  pitiful  story  of  her  necessities.  Some 
thing  in  her  manner,  however,  led  him  to  doubt  the 
truthfulness  of  her  relations,  and  he  offered  her  no 
encouragement.  A  short  time  after  this  visit,  two 
strange  men  called  upon  him,  and  impudently  accus 
ing  him  of  assaulting  the  lady,  demanded  a  written 
apology  and  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars.  These 
proposals  were  indignantly  refused,  and  the  intruders 
were  ordered  away.  A  few  days  succeeding  this 
event,  a  boy  entered  Mr.  Ingalls  office  and  informed 
him  that  a  lady  desired  to  speak  with  him  upon  the 


196  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

sidewalk.  Following  the  boy  to  the  street,  the 
gentleman  found  himself  confronted  by  Helen 
Graham,  accompanied  by  two  men  who  were  entire 
strangers  to  him.  One  of  these  men  handed  her  a 
package  of  red  pepper,  which  without  a  word,  she 
deliberately  threw  in  his  face,  occasioning  him  severe 
pain  and  temporarily  blinding  him.  He  had  immedi 
ately  caused  her  arrest,  when  she  openly  accused  him 
of  attempts  upon  her  virtue,  which  she  had  indignantly 
resisted. 

While  Mr.  Ingalls  was  relating  his  story,  the  fair 
prisoner  was  visibly  affected,  her  face  flushed  and  the 
tears  welled  up  in  her  eyes,  which  a  moment  ago,  were 
flashing  with  indignation.  All  of  this  was  not  lost 
upon  the  spectators  who  imagined  that  these  emotions 
were  the  outgrowth  of  outraged  honor  and  womanly 
feeling. 

After  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Ingalls  had  been  duly 
given,  the  judge  requested  the  prisoner  to  take  the 
stand,  addressing  her,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  by  the 
name  of  Mary  Freeland.  As  she  heard  this  name, 
the  fair  girl  started  nervously  and  placing  her  tremb 
ling  hands  upon  the  railing  in  front  of  her,  slowly 
rose  to  her  feet.  She  gazed  appealingly  around,  as 
if  beseeching  some  one  to  assist  her  in  reaching  the 
witness  box,  and  her  counsel  with  an  air  of  sincere 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  197 

concern,  offered  her  his  arm,  on  which  she  leaned 
heavily,  and  slowly  approached  the  stand. 

With  great  precision,  and  in  a  sweet  low  voice, 
she  narrated  her  account  of  the  assault,  and  the 
circumstances  which,  she  alleged,  had  led  to  the  com 
mission  of  the  act.  No  one  to  have  looked  upon 
that  fair  face,  and  those  truthful  speaking  eyes,  would 
have  doubted  for  a  moment  the  correctness  of  her 
story,  or  would  have  refused  their  sympathy  for  the 
unfortunate  lady  who  appeared  so  tearful  and  so 
distressed. 

Utterly  ignoring  the  evidence  of  Mr.  Ingalls,  to 
which  she  had  just  listened,  she  told  her  version  of 
the  story.  She  testified,  that  she  had  seen  an  adver 
tisement  in  a  morning  paper,  signed  "artist,"  and 
being  in  need  of  employment,  she  had  answered  it, 
receiving  in  reply  a  note  signed  "  H.  Ingalls,"  request 
ing  an  interview  at  his  place  of  business,  the  locality 
of  which  was  given. 

Agreeably  to  this  request,  she  had  called  at  the 
designated  place,  and  while  there  she  was  grossly 
insulted  by  the  plaintiff,  who  had  made  improper 
proposals  to  her,  and  had  attempted  to  compel  her  to 
submit  to  his  vile  purposes.  Resisting  him  with  all 
her  strength,  she  struck  him  in  the  face,  and  escaped 
into  the  street,  Burning  with  anger  and  seeking  to 
revenge  this  insult,  she  had  thrown  the  pepper  into 


19S  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

the  eyes  of  the  man  who  had  attempted  to  outrage 
her  honor. 

During  this  recital  Mr.  Ingalls  betrayed  marked 
symptoms  of  nervousness  and  mental  excitement, 
which  to  those  around  him,  appeared  to  be  evidences 
of  his  guilt,  and  frowning  looks  from  all  quarters 
were  directed  towards  him.  Circumstances  seemed 
to  be  decidedly  against  him,  and  the  sweet-faced  girl, 
apparently  so  pure  and  so  friendless,  had  won  the 
sympathy,  and  imposed  upon  the  credulity  of  those 
about  her. 

It  seemed  to  them  but  natural  that,  resenting  the 
outrage  which  had  been  attempted  upon  her,  she 
would  have  been  justified  in  punishing  her  insulter  in 
any  manner  that  suggested  itself  to  her  mind. 
Matters  looked  very  dark  for  Mr.  Ingalls,  and  as  he 
attempted  to  approach  nearer  to  the  witness,  in 
order  to  hear  more  distinctly  her  low  and  faltering 
tones,  he  was  rudely  repulsed  by  a  brawny  policeman 
who  had  been  completely  won  over  to  the  cause  of 
the  lovely  defendant.  Indeed  at  the  close  of  her 
direct  testimony,  it  seemed  that  instead  of  convicting 
the  girl  of  a  crime,  Mr.  Ingalls  might  be  compelled 
to  exchange  places  with  her,  and  might  be  required 
to  make  financial  reparation  for  the  indignities  he 
had  put  upon  her. 

But  the  defendant  had  bided  his  time — he  had 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  199 

not  been  idle  during  the  period  which  had  elapsed 
between  the  arrest  of  the  girl  and  the  day  of  her 
trial.  Trusty  detectives  had  been  engaged  in  search 
ing  for  her  antecedents,  and  their  efforts  had  not 
been  fruitless.  Sustained  by  the  consciousness  of 
his  own  innocence,  and  determined  to  defend  his  own 
reputation,  Mr.  Ingalls  had  urged  the  officers  to  the 
completion  of  their  task,  and  the  results  were  now 
about  to  be  made  manifest. 

As  the  last  words  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  weep 
ing  defendant,  Mr.  Ingalls  boldly  pushed  past  the 
interposing  policeman,  and  advancing  to  the  judge's 
seat,  drew  from  his  pocket  a  roll  of  manuscript, 
and  handing  it  to  one  of  the  magistrates,  politely 
requested  his  perusal  of  the  contents. 

The  magistrate  received  the  document  and 
glanced  carelessly  at  it,  but  as  he  read  he  appeared 
to  grow  more  interested,  and  with  a  hurried  whisper 
to  his  judicial  brother,  he  finished  his  reading  and 
passed  it  to  him.  These  movements  were  not 
entirely  lost  upon  the  fair  defendant,  and  a  strange 
frightened  expression  came  into  her  eyes  as  she 
fixed  them  intently  upon  the  judge.  Having  con 
cluded  his  reading,  that  official  raised  his  eyes 
from  the  paper,  and  with  a  sternness  of  manner 
very  different  from  his  previous  considerate  treat 
ment  of  her,  he  began  as  rigid  an  examination  as 


200  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

has  ever  been  witnessed  in  special  sessions.  Under 
the  trying  ordeal  the  guilty  woman  cowered  in  her 
shame — the  mask  was  torn  from  the  fair  face,  and 
she  stood  revealed  as  a  beautiful  fiend,  whose 
seductive  wiles  had  been  the  ruin  of  many  who 
had  been  led  by  the  witching  spell  of  her  charms 
into  the  abyss  of  moral  destruction. 

The  document  was  an  extraordinary  one  indeed, 
and  it  was  no  wonder  that  Mary  Freeland,  with  her 
numerous  aliases,  quailed  and  trembled  beneath  the 
searching  questions  of  the  magistrate.  Her  true  his 
tory  was  now  laid  bare.  Helen  Graham,  it  was  shown, 
was  of  English  parentage,  and  was  now,  despite  her 
youthful  appearance,  past  thirty  years  of  age. 
Being  the  daughter  of  poor  parents,  she  was  com 
pelled  to  labor  for  a  livelihood,  but  disliking  the 
drudgery  of  her  life,  and  preferring  her  own  plea 
sures,  she  ran  away  from  home  at  an  early  age, 
and  making  her  way  to  London,  engaged  herself 
as  a  bar-maid  in  one  of  the  largest  tippling  houses 
of  that  city. 

Being  possessed  of  great  beauty,  and  with  a  capti 
vating  manner,  she  received  a  great  deal  of  attention 
from  the  gentlemen  who  frequented  the  place,  and 
among  the  number  was  a  well-to-do  wine  merchant, 
who  conceived  such  a  regard  for  the  girl,  that  he 
induced  her  to  leave  her  place  of  employment,  and 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  201 

accept  his  bounty.  Eagerly  accepting  this  glittering 
offer,  the  bewitching  little  bar-maid  was  soon  estab 
lished  in  palatial  apartments  and  speedily  began  to 
ape  the  manners  and  tastes  of  a  woman  of  fashion. 

From  this  intimacy  a  child  was  born,  which  is 
still  living  under  the  care  of  his  reputed  father. 
Becoming  tired  at  last  of  the  attentions  of  her  middle- 
aged  lover,  she  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  young 
and  handsome  fellow  who  was  engaged  as  a  messenger 
for  a  prominent  London  bank.  Their  intimacy  was 
carried  on  without  detection  for  some  time,  but  at 
length,  fearing  the  jealousy  of  the  wine  merchant,  the 
fair  Helen  robbed  him  of  a  check  for  two  thousand 
pounds  which  Henry  Rothby,  the  bank  messenger, 
succeeded  in  having  honored,  and  the  guilty  couple 
fled  to  Great  Yarmouth,  where  they  lived  as  man  and 
wife  for  two  years,  during  which  time  another  child 
was  born  which,  however,  lived  but  a  few  months. 

Henry  Rothby  and  his  mistress  sailed  away  from 
the  shores  of  old  England  and  arrived,  in  February 
1879,  at  Montreal  in  Canada.  In  that  city,  they 
engaged  board  with  the  family  of  a  respectable  gentle 
man  who  was  living  with  his  wife  and  five  children,  in 
comfort  and  contentment.  Very  soon,  however,  the 
spell  -of  the  siren  was  cast  over  this  happy  home,  and 
one  morning  the  weeping  wife  awakened  to  the  fact 
that  her  husband  had  eloped  with  the  beautiful  and 
9* 


202  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

demure  Mrs.  Rothby,  whom  she  had  received  into 
her  household  with  all  the  friendliness  and  affection 
of  a  sister. 

The  guilty  pair  made  their  way  to  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  they  lived  together  a  few  months,  when 
Helen,  becoming  tired  of  her  new  lover,  left  him  one 
evening  and  went  to  live  again  with  Henry  Rothby, 
who  had  been  in  communication  with  her,  and  who 
was  now  residing  at  Patchogue  on  Long  Island. 
Here  they  remained  until  September,  when  they 
departed  in  company.  Rothby  finally  left  his  mistress 
in  New  York  City,  and  returned  to  England.  Helen, 
however,  preferred  to  remain  in  the  United  States, 
and  after  the  departure  of  her  lover  she  engaged  her 
self  in  the  service  of  a  prominent  banker  of  New 
York.  She  did  not  remain  in  this  position  but  a  few 
days,  as  attempting  her  seductive  wiles  upon  her 
employer,  who  was  a  man  of  honor,  her  immodest 
advances  were  met  with  a  prompt  discharge  and  a 
speedy  ejection  from  the  home  she  had  attempted  to 
disgrace. 

Thus  thrown  upon  her  own  resources,  she  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  several  men  of  doubtful  character, 
and  a  few  days  after  her  discharge  from  the  banker's 
family,  two  rough-looking  individuals  called  upon  that 
gentleman,  and  in  a  threatening  manner  demanded  a 
large  sum  of  money  from  him,  accusing  him  of  having 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  203 

acted  in  an  improper  manner  with  his  recently  dis 
charged  domestic,  and  threatening  exposure  in  case 
of  refusal.  Their  proposition  was  met  by  the  angry 
banker  in  such  a  vigorous  manner  that  the  two  visitors 
were  forcibly  ejected  from  the  premises,  and  landed 
very  unceremoniously  upon  the  sidewalk. 

Nothing  further  was  heard  of  this  matter,  and  the 
fair  but  frail  Helen  disappeared  entirely  for  a  time. 
In  the  early  part  of  1880,  however,  a  pale  but  beauti 
ful  young  girl,  applied  for  a  situation  at  the  residence 
of  a  wealthy  broker  at  Mont  Clair,  N.  J.  She  related 
a  pitiful  story  of  needs  and  sufferings.  How  she  had 
left  her  home  in  England  to  escape  the  commands  of 
her  parents,  who  insisted  upon  her  marriage  with  a 
man  who  was  distasteful  to  her.  How  the  vessel  in 
which  she  took  passage,  had  been  wrecked,  and  she 
had  lost  everything  and  was  now  in  abject  want. 
Her  story,  told  so  simply  and  with  such  an  ingenuous 
air  of  truthfulness,  excited  the  sympathy  of  the  lady 
to  whom  she  applied,  who  immediately  gave  her  em 
ployment  and  a  home. 

Here  she  remained  but  a  short  time  when  she  dis 
appeared  very  mysteriously  under  circumstances  that 
rather  tended  to  impeach  her  integrity.  From  this 
time  she  appeared  to  have  led  a  reckless  and  aban 
doned  life,  having  as  many  husbands  as  there  were 
months  in  the  year,  and  carrying  on  a  system  of 


264  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

blackmailing  that  seemed  to  be  quite  profitable,  and 
effectually  evaded  detection.  At  several  places 
where  she  had  lived  with  the  various  men  who  were 
introduced  as  her  husband,  she  had  been  requested  to 
leave  on  account  of  her  vile  and  unladylike  behavior. 
She  was  a  sort  of  moral  free-booter,  no  grade  of 
society  being  too  high  and  no  degradation  too  low, 
for  the  operation  of  her  hellish  designs.  Affecting  a 
modesty  and  a  virtue  that  were  unimpeachable,  she 
would  be  admitted  into  select  social  circles,  and  soon 
she  would  commit  some  act  of  glaring  immorality 
which  would  bring  upon  her  the  loathing  and  con 
tempt  of  her  associates.  Discovered  in  this,  she 
would  disappear  temporarily,  until  again  brought  to 
the  surface  by  some  new  revelation  of  wickedness  and 
debauchery  with  which  she  was  intimately  connected. 

Her  entire  history  was  shown  to  be  one  of  crime 
and  immoral  practices,  and  unable  to  refute  the  terri 
ble  accusations,  the  stricken  woman  acknowledged  her 
guilt  and  sued  for  mercy.  The  trial  was  soon  com 
pleted,  and  this  designing  and  unprincipled  woman 
was  sentenced  to  a  term  of  imprisonment,  during 
which  it  was  hoped  some  lessons  of  improvement 
would  be  inculcated. 

With  a  sobbing  cry,  the  young  woman  received 
the  edict  of  the  court,  and  then  turning  to  a  young 
man  who  had  hitherto  escaped  attention,  she  raised 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  205 

her  hands  appealingly  to  him,  but  with  a  look  of 
loathing  he  turned  from  her,  and  she  was  conducted 
away. 

The  vindication  of  Howard  Ingalls  was  complete, 
and  friends  who  had  doubted  his  story  before,  and 
who  had  avoided  him,  now  pressed  forward  to  con 
gratulate  him  upon  the  happy  termination  of  his  ag 
gravating  trial. 

There  is  a  sequel  to  this  story,  however,  which  is 
worthy  of  relation.  After  the  policeman  had  con 
ducted  the  prisoner  to  her  cell,  the  young  man  to 
whom  she  had  appealed  requested  to  speak  to  the 
judge,  who  was  busily  engaged  in  gathering  up  his 
papers.  The  magistrate  inclined  his  head  to  listen 
and  the  young  man  related  his  story.  He  was  the 
son  of  wealthy  parents  who  resided  in  a  western  city, 
where  he  was  also  engaged  in  business.  Some  time 

o     o 

previous  to  this  occurrence,  while  on  a  business  visit 
to  New  York  he  had  met  the  fair  Helen  Graham,  who 
came  to  him  with  a  sorrowful  story  of  want  and  dis 
tress.  He  had  been  first  attracted  by  the  pensive 
beauty  of  the  girl,  and  had  provided  for  her  wants.  A 
growing  intimacy  had  ripened  into  love,  and  entirely 
unconscious  of  the  charges  against  her,  he  had  offered 
her  his  hand  in  marriage,  and  they  had  been  united 
only  the  day  before  the  arrest. 

The  revelations  of  the  trial  had  been  a  dreadful 


206  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

awakening  to  him,  and  now  realizing  the  position  in 
which  he  was  placed,  he  sought  the  aid  of  the  justice 
to  release  him  from  the  bonds  which  bound  him  to 
the  guilty  woman  who  had  just  been  condemned  to 
suffer  for  her  sins. 

In  due  time  the  necessary  papers  were  procured, 
the  marriage  was  declared  null  and  void,  and  Henry 
Gadsby  returned  to  his  western  home  a  wiser  man 
and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  a  happier  one. 


THE  CONFIDENCE  MAN  ABOUT  TOWN. 

THE  ways  of  the  confidence  man  and  woman,  and 
the  ingenious  tricks  they  resort  to,  are  as  numerous 
as  the  planets,  and  frequently,  as  brilliant,  and  in  the 
space  1  have  allotted  to  this  particular  phase  of  crim 
inal  practice,  I  can  only  expect  to  give  a  few  of  the 
many  incidents  that  have  come  under  my  notice.  To 
attempt  a  full  description  would  require  a  volume  as 
extensive  as  the  present  one,  and  the  reading,  though 
entertaining,  might  prove  tiresome  from  its  very 
length.  I  will,  however,  give  a  few  illustrations,  in 
order  to  show  the  workings  of  this  class  of  ingen 
ious  criminals,  and  to  afford  the  reader  a  somewhat 
comprehensive  idea  of  their  operations. 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  207 

Of  course,  the  most  common,  and,  strange  to  say, 
one  of  the  most  successful  schemes,  is  that  of  watch 
ing  either  at  railroad  depots  or  hotels,  for  the  genial 
and  unsuspecting  farmer  or  country  merchant,  whose 
well  filled  purse  and  general  air  of  rusticity  warrants 
a  belief  in  his  innocence  and  gulibility.  The  first 
move,  therefore,  is  for  one  of  the  confidence  men  to 
approach  the  stranger,  and  with  a  frank  and  hearty 
salutation,  to  claim  an  acquaintance. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Harris,  how  do  you  do — and  when  did 
you  leave  Pumptown  ?"  ejaculates  the  confidence  man, 
as  he  grasps  the  hand  of  the  astonished  stranger. 

"You  must  be  mistaken,  sir,"  he  replies,  "  my  name 
is  not  Harris,  and  I  don't  live  in  Pumptown." 

"  Well,  I  declare,  sir.  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  you 
are  the  exact  image  of  my  friend,  'Squire  Harris,  and 
I  thought  I  could  not  be  mistaken.  I  am  sorry  to 
have  spoken  to  you  as  I  did,  and  I  beg  you  to  excuse 
me." 

A  further  conversation  ensues,  in  which  the 
stranger  and  his  victim  adjourn  to  the  bar,  and  over 
their  drinks  the  victim  informs  his  new  found  friend 
that  his  name  is  Mr.  John  Bell,  and  that  he  lives  in 
Wellsville,  and  has  come  up  to  town  for  the  first  time 
in  five  years.  After  many  protestations  of  good  will 
and  amiability  the  couple  separate,  and  the  stranger 
sees  no  more  of  the  smooth-spoken  gentleman  who 


2o8  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

addressed  him  as  Mr.  Harris.  During  the  course  of 
the  day,  however,  Mr.  Bell  strolls  out  through  the 
crowded  thoroughfares  of  the  city,  and  while  he  is 
carelessly  looking  around  him,  he  is  approached  by 
another  man,  whose  manners  are  quite  agreeable,  and 
whose  genial  face  is  beaming  with  smiles. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Bell  ?  I  am  glad  to  see  you. 
What  brings  you  to  town  ?" 

Of  course  Mr.  Bell  does  not  at  first  recognize  his 
new  friend,  and  upon  asking  for  the  desired  informa 
tion,  the  stranger  tells  him  that  his  name  is  Marshall, 
and  that  he  keeps  a  store  at  Waterstown,  a  few  miles 
distant  from  Wellsville,  and  has  met  Mr.  Bell  several 
times  in  his  native  town.  A  few  deft  inquiries  about 
people  and  localities  which  completely  impose  on  Mr. 
Bell,  and  in  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  the  two  men  are 
laughing  and  talking  like  old  friends. 

This  is  the  entering  wedge,  and  after  that  any 
scheme  that  may  be  devised  is  put  into  operation. 
Sometimes  Mr.  Marshall  has  bought  a  lot  of  goods, 
and  the  firm  from  whom  he  has  made  purchases  re 
quire  more  cash  than  he  has  with  him,  and  Mr.  Bell 
is  appealed  to,  to  help  his  friend  out  until  they  return 
home.  Sometimes  Mr.  Marshall  has  shipped  a  lot  of 
goods  to  Chicago,  but,  not  having  cash  enough  to  pay 
the  freight,  is  very  indignant,  and  exceedingly  annoy 
ed  because  the  railroad  company  decline  to  accept  his 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  209 

check  in  payment.  Mr.  Bell  is  then  appealed  to  to 
cash  a  check  for  his  neighbor,  who  offers  his  individ 
ual  paper  as  a  guarantee  of  his  credibility.  In  other 
cases,  the  unsuspecting  Mr.  Bell  may  be  lured  into  a 
gambling  saloon,  and  under  the  excitement  of  the  mo 
ment,  may  be  tempted  to  venture  his  money  on  the 
uncertain  chances  of  the  game,  which,  it  is  needless  to 
say,  invariably  results  in  loss  and  ruin  to  the  rustic 
victim,  and  in  some  extreme  instances  Mr.  Bell  may 
be  led  to  some  secluded  spot,  drugged  and  robbed, 
and  when  his  consciousness  returns,  he  is  unable  to 
tell  where  and  how  he  came  to  his  present  position. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  many  means  put  into  prac 
tice  by  the  ordinary  confidence  man,  and  I  regret  to 
say  they  are  generally  successful. 


THE   BITERS  BITTEN. 

"  BANCO,"  as  it  is  now  called  "  bunko,"  is  another 
form  of  the  confidence  swindle,  and  first  made  its  ap 
pearance  at  New  Orleans  in  1869.  This  game  con 
sists  in  "  roping  in  "  or  inducing  an  unsuspicious  vic 
tim,  with  plenty  of  money,  and  then  fleecing  him  of 
all  his  ready  cash  and  as  much  more  as  can  be  ob 
tained  from  him.  A  little  reminiscence  that  occurred 


210  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

a  few  years  ago  may   not  be    out  of  place  here   as 
showing  that  sometimes 

"  The  best  laid   plans  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  aglee." 

A  party  of  sharp  and  notorious  gamblers  and 
bunko  men  were  seated  in  a  handsomely  furnished 
saloon  where  games  of  chance  were  the  order  of  the 
day,  when  one  of  their  number  rushed  into  the  room 
exclaiming: 

"  Boys,  I  have  just  had  an  introduction  to  the 
richest  planter  in  the  Red  River  country.  His  name 
is  Col.  Oliver,  and  I  understand  he  has  sold  his  cot 
ton  and  deposited  the  proceeds,  about  $15,000,  with 
a  banker  here.  Now  get  ready  for  a  big  game,  and  I  will 
land  him  here  in  an  hour  or  two.  He  does  not  carry 
any  ready  money,  but  his  paper  is  as  good  as  gold." 

The  game  that  was  intended  to  be  played  upon 
the  stranger  was  a  lottery  scheme,  which  was  to  be 
termed  the  Royal  Havana  Lottery,  with  drawings 
now  going  on.  At  ten  o'clock  that  evening,  the 
"steerer"  made  his  appearance,  accompanied  by  a 
large  swarthy  planter,  who  was  finely  dressed,  and 
who  wore  in  his  shirt  bosom  a  diamond  stud  of  large 
proportions. 

After  going  through  the  usual  preliminary  inqui 
ries,  the  "  steerer  "  produced  his  ticket  for  the  lottery 
which  had  drawn  $80,  and  the  gold  was  duly 
counted  out  to  him,  when  he  immediately  purchased 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  211 

two  more  tickets  for  the  present  drawing.  Col.  Oli 
ver  received  one  of  these  tickets  from  the  steerer, 
and  after  being  instructed  in  the  manner  of  play 
ing,  he  entered  fully  into  the  spirit  of  the  game, 
which  unfortunately  went  steadily  against  him  until 
he  had  lost  nearly  $8,000.  The  Colonel  took  his 
losses  good  naturedly,  however,  saying  that  he  had 
taken  the  chances  and  might  have  won.  He  how 
ever,  requested  the  gamblers  to  hold  his  drafts  until 
morning,  so  that  he  could  get  the  money  for  them 
from  his  broker,  as  he  did  not  wish  that  gentleman  to 
think  he  would  gamble  so  heavily.  This  promise 
was  readily  given,  and  the  gamblers  treated  their 
victim  to  a  bounteous  and  luxurious  supper,  in  which 
the  finest  brands  of  champagne  and  the  most  deli 
cately  flavored  cigars  furnished  a  fitting  conclusion. 
After  this  the  party  separated  and  Col.  Oliver  re 
turned  to  his  hotel.  Meeting  some  friends  there  he 
entered  the  wine  room,  and  while  there,  his  former 
friends,  the  gamblers,  who,  flushed  with  success,  were 
having  a  glorious  time,  also  entered  the  room. 

Saluting  his  new  found  friend  as  Col.  Oliver,  the 
leader  of  the  gamblers  invited  the  party  to  join  him 
in  a  bottle  of  wine.  While  they  were  drinking,  one 
af  the  gentlemen  approached  the  gambler,  and  in  a 
loud  voice  exclaimed  : 


2i2  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

"  Major,  I  think  you  have  made  a  slight  mistake 
about  Col.  Oliver." 

"  How  can  that  be  ?"  inquired  the  gambler. 

"Why,"  replied  the  other,  "instead  of  being  Col. 
Oliver,  he  is  no  other  person  than  Detective  William 
Pinkerton  from  Chicago." 

This  was  enough,  and  without  another  word  the 
discomfited  gamblers  handed  the  drafts,  which  were 
utterly  worthless,  back  to  William,  and  slowly  and 
quietly  drifted  out  of  the  hotel.  Their  little  confi 
dence  game  did  not  work  that  time,  and  ever  after 
wards  they  were  more  careful  how  they  entertained 
rich  planters  from  the  Red  River  country. 


THE  VERDANT  SCOTCHMAN. 

THERE  was  another  case  in  which  the  intended 
victim  was  a  robust  and  wealthy  Scotchman  who  was 
traveling  in  America  for  pleasure,  and  who  tempora 
rily  stopped  at  one  of  the  prominent  Chicago  hotels. 
This  gentleman's  name  was  James  Templeton,  and 
he  came  from  Glasgow.  While  sauntering  about  the 
office  of  the  hotel  one  evening,  Mr.  Templeton  was 
approached  by  a  dapper  little  fellow,  in  a  Scotch  tweed 
suit,  with  a  dainty  umbrella  under  his  arm  and  a  single 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  213 

glass  in  his  eye.  This  young  man  approached  the 
elderly  gentleman,  and  politely  introduced  himself  as 
Master  Robert  Campbell  of  Glasgow,  a  son  of  Camp 
bell,  one  of  the  famous  ship-builders  of  that  city. 
The  old  gentleman  was  exceedingly  glad  to  meet  with 
a  fellow  countryman,  and  they  were  soon  chatting 
pleasantly  together.  A  walk  was  soon  proposed  and 
shortly  afterwards  our  two  Scotch  friends  found  them 
selves  in  a  large  saloon,  where  no  less  an  individual 
than  "  Canada  Bill,"  an  old  time  swindler,  was  en 
gaged  in  throwing  the  "monte"  cards  for  an  au 
dience,  all  of  whom  were  perfectly  acquainted  with 
his  little  game,  and  were  in  fact  "  cappers"  for  him. 
"Canada  Bill"  was  losing  money  very  rapidly  when 
the  strangers  entered,  and  Mr.  Templeton,  after 
watching  the  game  for  awhile  turned  to  the  pretended 
Mr.  Campbell,  and  expressed  his  opinion  that  the 
poor,  old  blind  man  was  being  deliberately  robbed. 
Young  Campbell,  however,  paid  no  attention  to  this, 
and  a  few  minutes  afterwards  he  commenced  to  play 
himself.  He  soon  lost  a  small  sum  of  money  and  in 
duced  his  elderly  companion  to  wager  a  small  amount 
which  was  soon  pocketed  by  Canada  Bill.  Campbell 
then  wanted  to  play  for  more  money,  and  Bill  said  he 
would  bet  $1,000,  and  nothing  less  that  no  one  could 
pick  up  the  "Jack,"  In  the  midst  of  the  parley  which 
ensued,  Mr.  Templeton  unceremoniously  seized  young 


214  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

Mr.  Campbell  by  the  collar  of  his  coat,  and  the  seat 
of  his  trousers,  and  deliberately  carried  him  out  into 
the  street.  After  carefully  depositing  the  youth  upon 
the  sidewalk,  he  said,  "  Campbell,  my  boy,  I  say,  I've 
saved  you  from  being  robbed  and  murdered.  You 
were  in  a  den  of  thieves.  What  would  your  poor  ould 
father  say  if  he  saw  you  gambling  with  sharpers. 
But,  Campbell,"  and  here  his  voice  dropped,  "  the 
poor,  old,  blind  man  was  not  sic  a  dum  fool  as  he 
looked  to  be." 

The  honesty  and  the  indignation  of  the  old  Scotch 
man  were  too  much,  and  the  pretended  Master  Camp 
bell,  who  was  no  other  than  a  regular  "  steerer  "  for 
''Canada  Bill,"  and  who  had  dressed  himself  as  a 
Scotchman  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fleecing  his  warm 
hearted  friend  Mr.  Templeton,  was  compelled  to 
swallow  his  disappointment  and  look  for  other  game. 


A  CONFIDENCE  MAN,  CONFIDENCED. 

THE  following  incident  which  is  perfectly  true  in 
all  its  details,  will  show  how  even  the  most  astute 
confidence  men  are  sometimes  over-reached  and  in 
the  end  find  themselves  the  victims  of  their  own 
smartness. 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  215 

During  the  month  of  August,  1883,  an  ordinary 
looking  man,  respectably  arrayed,  and  wearing  a 
broad  brimed  hat  and  gold  bowed  spectacles  arrived 
in  New  York  City,  and  registered  himself  at  a  fash 
ionable  hotel  in  Broadway,  as  B.  Ashley,  of  Abilene, 
Kansas.  The  stranger  had  just  arrived  in  town  by 
the  Western  express  from  Chicago,  on  the  Erie  road. 
His  garments  had  been  procured  from  a  ready-made 
clothing  store  in  Abilene,  which  gave  him  rather  a 
rustic  appearance,  while  his  face  and  hands  were 
brownly  tanned  from  exposure.  He  walked  with  that 
peculiar  parenthetical  gait  which  indicates  a  long  time 
spent  in  the  saddle,  and  his  bearing  in  other  respects 
indicated  the  wild  western  borderman.  Mr.  Ashley 
soon  developed  other  tendencies  of  the  prairie  type  ; 
he  insisted  upon  going  out  for  exercise  every  morn 
ing  shortly  after  day-break  on  horseback,  and  upon 
these  occasions  he  employed  his  own  rawhide  bridle, 
and  his  well-worn  Mexican  saddle,  which  formed  part 
of  his  luggage.  His  accent  was  a  peculiar  blending 
of  English  and  western  types  of  speech  ;  his  eyes 
were  weak,  and  he  frequently  consulted  an  eminent 
oculist  in  New  York,  preparatory,  as  he  stated,  to 
placing  himself  under  the  care  of  a  prominent  Lon 
don  specialist,  after  he  had  concluded  his  affairs  in 
New  York,  and  arrived  upon  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic. 


216  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

Mr.  Ashley  appeared  to  have  very  little  occupa 
tion  beyond  horseback  riding  at  unearthly  hours  in 
the  morning ;  visiting  his  medical  adviser  in  the  after 
noon,  and  lounging  about  the  immense  and  richly 
ornamental  rotunda  of  the  hotel  in  the  evening.  He 
was  bountifully  supplied  with  cash  and  he  expended 
it  with  considerable  liberality.  He  smoked  a  great 
deal,  but  drank  little,  because  his  physician  had  abso 
lutely  forbidden  him  to  do  so,  on  account  of  its  effect 
upon  his  patient's  eyes. 

Many  people  about  the  hotel  drank  at  Mr.  Ash 
ley's  expense,  but  he  himself  seldom  indulged  in 
more  harmful  beverages  than  lemonade  or  some  well- 
known  medicinal  spring  water. 

One  day  Mr.  Ashley  strolled  through  the  lobby  of 
the  hotel  in  the  company  of  a  young  man,  whose  face 
is  well  known  to  the  regular  promenaders  of  Broad 
way.  This  young  man  is  always  faultlessly  dressed 
and  smooth  shaven.  He  has  prominent  features,  and 
peculiarly  thin  and  compressed  lips  ;  he  lives  hand 
somely,  and  always  has  plenty  of  money.  With  this 
new-found  companion  Mr.  Ashley,  the  weak-eyed 
child  of  the  guileless  west,  occupied  a  seat  in  the 
bar-room  for  some  time.  Upon  this  occasion  Mr. 
Ashley  departed  from  his  usual  custom,  and  assisted 
in  the  absorption  of  a  liberal  quantity  of  champagne. 
After  a  time  thus  spent,  the  Broadway  friend  arose 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  217 

and  took  his  departure,  and  Mr.  Ashley  sauntered 
again  through  the  office  of  the  hotel.  As  he  did  so, 
one  of  the  clerks  motioned  for  him  to  approach  the 
desk. 

11  Mr.  Ashley,  how  long  has  it  been  since  you  were 
in  New  York  before  ?"  inquired  the  clerk. 

"  Nearly  eight  years,"  answered  that  gentleman. 
"  Never  was  here  afore  and  never  since  until  now." 

"  Do  you  know  the  person  who  has  just  left 
you  ?" 

"  Yes,  met  him  two  nights  ago  at  the  Madison 
Square.  I  couldn't  buy  a  seat  and  he  offered  me 
one  of  his.  Said  his  friend  hadn't  come,  and  he 
would  be  glad  to  accommodate  a  stranger.  So  we 
sat  together.  Seems  to  be  a  nice  sort  of  a  chap, 
don't  he  ?" 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  that,"  responded  the  clerk, 
with  a  slight  air  of  superior  knowledge,  not  unblended 
with  sarcasm.  "  That  young  man — in  fact,  that  nice 
sort  of  a  chap,  is  '  Hungry  Joe,'  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  confidence  operators  in  America." 

"  You  don't  say,"  drawled  the  western  man  slowly, 
and  with  some  little  indication  of  astonishment. 
"  Well,  I'm  darned." 

He  went  thoughtfully  away.  That  night  the 
young  man  with  the  thin  lips  and  the  handsome 

10 


2i8  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

clothes  called  for  Mr.  Ashley  after  dinner,  and  as 
they  came  through  the  office,  the  occidental  inno 
cent  pulled  out  a  large  pocket-book  filled  to  reple 
tion  with  money,  and  taking  about  $500  from  its 
recesses  he  deposited  the  wallet,  with  the  balance  of 
its  contents,  in  the  hotel  safe.  His  companion  watched 
this  proceeding  with  a  pensive  face,  but  a  gleaming 
eye,  and  then  the  two  went  out  together.  Mr.  Ash 
ley  returned  just  in  time  to  take  his  morning  ride  on 
horseback,  and  then  retired  to  bed,  where  he  re 
mained  until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  That 
evening  he  drew  $200  from  his  wallet,  and  left  the 
hotel. 

"You  are  fully  warned,"  observed  the  clerk,  as  he 
handed  over  the  amount,  "and  it  is  your  own  fault  if 
you  lose  any  money  to  '  Hungry  Joe.  " 

"  Correct,"  responded  Mr.  Ashley,  stuffing  the 
bills  into  his  pocket. 

His  next  appearance  in  the  hotel  was  shortly  after 
midnight,  and  this  time  he  put  $300  away  in  his  wal 
let,  with  the  declaration  that  "  New  York  sharps 
might  be  pretty  stiff  on  bunko,  but  they  were  a  little 
behind  tTie  time  on  draw  poker.  In  my  country,"  he 
added,  "  two  deuces  and  a  bowie  knife  will  open  a 
Jack  pot  every  time." 

Mr.  Ashley  passed  several  days  after  this,  in  quiet 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  219 

and  seclusion,  and  a  full  week  rolled  past  before  he 
drifted  out  again  with  his  companion  of  the  com 
pressed  lips.  The  next  day  he  drew  a  round  $1,000 
from  the  safe,  and  seemed  very  much  annoyed  when 
the  clerk  smiled  a  broad  and  knowing  smile. 

"  No  game  ever  fazed  me,"  said  Mr.  Ashley,  dog 
gedly,  "and  a  man  who  can  hold  up  his  end  with  cow 
boys  isn't  going  to  be  bested  by  any  broadcloth  bri 
gade  that  was  ever  hatched." 

There  was  a  lull  of  eight  or  ten  days,  and  then 
Mr.  Ashley  drew  another  $1,000,  and  a  couple  of 
days  after  that  he  drew  $850  more.  That  afternoon 
he  went  for  a  drive  with  his  gentlemanly  companion. 
His  face  was  clouded  with  sadness  all  the  morning, 
but  it  was  noticed  that  he  appeared  somewhat  brighter 
on  his  return  from  the  drive.  That  evening  "  Hungry 
Joe,"  and  two  of  his  well  known  Broadway  compan 
ions  spent  several  hours  in  earnest  conversation  with 
Mr.  Ashley.  That  gentleman's  weak  eyes  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  wear  his  broad  hat  well  down 
over  his  forehead,  and  when  the  three  young  men 
went  away,  the  merest  shadow  of  a  smile  played 
about  the  corners  of  the  mouth  of  the  western  man. 
From  the  table  at  which  they  had  sat,  the  three  young 
fellows  went  direct  to  a  telegraph  office,  where  they 
sent  the  following  dispatch  : 


220  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

"  POSTMASTER,  ABILENE,   KANSAS  : 

"  Do  you  know  Benjamin  Ashley,  cattle  raiser  ? 
Telegraph  full  particulars,  my  expense. 

"  R.  DICKSON,  Brower  House, 

New  York." 

The  reply  to  this  communication  was  evidently 
satisfactory  in  all  respects,  and  within  two  days  Mr. 
Ashley  received  in  his  rooms  at  the  hotel,  a  visit  from 
the  three  confidence  operators  and  a  lawyer,  who  is 
more  or  less  celebrated  in  the  metropolis.  After  an 
hour  or  more  had  elapsed,  the  chief  porter  of  the  hotel 
was  called  into  the  room,  and  requested  to  sign  his 
name  as  a  witness  to  the  signature  of  Mr.  Ashley. 
This  was  done,  the  porter  receiving  $5  for  his  trouble, 
and  a  sum  of  money  was  counted  out  and  paid  to  Mr. 
Ashley  by  the  young  man  with  the  thin  lips. 

That  night  the  western  cattle  raiser  deposited 
$14,000  cool  cash  in  the  safe  of  the  hotel. 

Two  days  afterwards  he  took  passage  on  a  Guion 
steamer  for  Liverpool,  having  explained  to  the  hotel 
clerk  that  he  had  sold  a  half  interest  in  his  Kansas 
cattle  ranch  to  his  friends,  and  that  "  Hungry  Joe," 
as  he  was  called,  was  going  to  retire  from  city  life. 

Mr.  Ashley  was  accompanied  to  the  pier  by  his 
enthusiastic  New  York  acquaintances,  who  toasted 
him  in  the  finest  champagne,  and  adorned  his  state- 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  221 

room  with  many  delicacies,  including  a  rich  basket  of 
flowers,  in  which  che  word  "  farewell  "  was  artistically 
arranged,  and  altogether  the  departure  of  the  cattle 
raiser,  was  accompanied  by  every  mark  of  tender 
regard  and  esteem. 

About  twelve  days  had  elapsed  since  the  departure 
of  Mr.  Ashley,  when  a  tall  man  arrived  at  the  same 
hotel,  in  a  carriage  that  was  loaded  down  with  trunks, 
steamer  chairs  and  other  appliances  of  ocean  travel. 
Walking  into  the  office  he  signed  his  name  in  large 
English  characters:  "Benjamin  Ashley,  Esq.,  London." 
The  clerk  looked  up  hurriedly,  as  if  to  apologize 
for  not  recognizing  his  guest,  then  looked  surprised, 
muttered  a  hasty  word  or  two,  and  assigned  the 
stranger  to  a  room  all  in  a  confused  and  preoccupied 
manner. 

There  was  apparently  another  Benjamin  Ashley. 
This  man  was  tall  and  slender,  well  dressed  and  pale. 
But  he  spoke  with  a  slightly  Americanized  accent, 
not  unlike  that  of  the  other  Benjamin  Ashley.  The 
clerk  was  sorely  puzzled,  and  that  evening  he  took 
especial  care  to  have  the  stranger's  full  name  and 
address  inserted  among  the  list  of  prominent  arrivals 
in  all  the  daily  papers. 

The  clerk  went  on  duty  early  next  day,  and  as  he 
fully  expected,  one  of  his  first  callers  was  the  thin 
lipped  "Hungry  Joe,"  who  asked  to  have  his  name 


222  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

sent  up  to  Mr.  Ashley's  room.  Word  was  returned 
that  Mr.  Ashley  would  see  the  gentleman  in  the 
drawing  room,  and  thither  the  clerk  followed  the 
confidence  man.  "Hungry  Joe"  was  sitting  in  a 
large  arm  chair,  when  the  tall  man  from  London 
entered  the  apartment,  and  not  recognizing  his  old 
friend,  paid  no  attention  to  the  new  comer.  The 
Englishman,  however,  seeing  no  one  else  excepting 
the  clerk,  advanced  courteously  and  said. 

"  Did  you  wish  to  see  me  ?     I  am  Mr.  Ashley." 

"  Eh  !"  said  "  Hungry  Joe,"  with  a  start,  "  you're 
not  Mr.  Benjamin  Ashley  ?" 

"  Precisely." 

"  Not  of  Kansas  ?" 

"  Yes  sir,  of  Abilene,  Kansas.  How  can  I  serve 
you  ?" 

The  thin  lips  of  the  expert  confidence  man  were 
white  by  this  time,  and  they  were  more  firmly  com 
pressed  than  ever.  He  regarded  the  tall  English 
man  in  a  dazed  manner  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
he  asked, 

"  Do  you  own  a  large  cattle  ranch  twenty-five 
miles  south  of  Abilene  ?" 

"  I  believe  I  do.     Why  do  you  ask  ?" 

"  Been  to  Europe  to  have  your  eyes  doctored  ?" 

''Yes,  sir,"  answered  Mr.  Ashley,  with,  some  sur 
prise,  '"  I  have  been  abroad  for  four  months.  But 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL  223 

my  young  friend,  these  questions  are  rather  odd. 
Please  explain  yourself." 

"Odd,"  echoed  the  Broadway  man.  "Well,  I 
should  think  they  were.  If  you  are  Benjamin  Ash 
ley,  and  you  do  own  that  ranch,  the  cleverest  man 
in  the  country  has  given  me  a  pretty  bad  deal,  that's 
all.  Why,  it  ain't  two  weeks  ago  that  me  and  two 
friends  bought  a  half-interest  in  that  ranch,  and  by 
God,  the  man  who  sold  us,  stopped  in  this  same 
hotel  !" 

Mr.  Ashley  seemed  rather  astonished,  and  after  a 
full  explanation  had  been  made,  the  following  partic 
ulars  were  learned.  The  supposed  Benjamin  Ashley 
had  lost  $3,250  at  cards  to  "  Hungry  Joe"  and  his 
companions.  This  man  had  represented  himself  as 
the  owner  of  the  Ashley  ranch,  and  was  on  his  way 
to  Europe  to  '  e  treated  for  his  eyes.  Mr.  Ashley 
had  desired  to  make  certain  expenditures  while  in 
Europe,  but  his  losses  at  cards  would  prevent  his 
doing  so,  unless  he  could  dispose  of  an  interest  in 
his  ranch.  The  men  had  then  telegraphed  to  the 
Postmaster  who  had  replied,  giving  details  of  the 
property  which  was  valued  at  about  $50,000,  and 
further  stated  that  Mr.  Ashley  had  gone  abroad  for 
medical  treatment.  Thus  far  all  was  satisfactory, 
the  pretended  Mr.  Ashley  produced  deeds  to  estab 
lish  his  ownership,  and  thinking  they  had  a  chance  to 


224  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

get  $25,000  worth  of  material  for  $14,000,  the  three 
sharpers  had  clubbed  together  and  raised  the  neces 
sary  amount. 

"  Really,"  observed  Mr.  Ashley,  when  all  the  ex 
planations  had  been  fully  made,  "  I  am  very  sorry  for 
you,  but  you  have  evidently  been  made  a  victim  of. 
For  my  part,  I  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  proving  my 
identity,  and  as  for  your  friend,  the  bogus, Mr.  Ash 
ley,  he  is  probably  one  of  my  cowboys  named  Harry 
Barnes,  whose  description  tallies  precisely  with  what 
you  have  told  me  of  the  man." 

"Well,  sir,"  burst  in  the  defrauded  confidence 
operator,  "  that  cuss  has  gone  off  to  Europe  with  my 
money,  hang  him  !  And  what's  worse,  he  went  off 
full  of  my  champagne,  and  smelling  of  my  basket  of 
flowers.  He's  a  d — d  swindler,  that's  what  he  is." 

Swearing  and  complaints  were  of  no  avail,  how 
ever,  and  "  Hungry  Joe,"  with  all  his  skill  and  suc 
cess  was  compelled  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  been 
completely  duped  by  a  western  cowboy. 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  225 

PURCHASING    WITNESSES. 

IT  is  scarcely  possible  to  place  a  limit  upon  the 
acting  of  unscrupulous  men  and  women  when  in  des 
perate  straits  to  obtain  money.  I  know  of  a  case  in 
which  a  woman  deliberately  hired  herself  to  furnish 
a  rich  married  woman,  who  was  desirous  of  obtaining 
a  divorce  from  her  husband,  with  such  evidence  as 
would  be  sufficient  to  warrant  any  court  in  Christen 
dom  in  granting  the  application,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  the  husband  so  far  as  known,  had  led  an 
unblemished  life.  The  gentleman  was  a  wealthy  real 
estate  owner,  and  being  older  than  his  wife,  the  lady 
had  grown  tired  of  his  company,  and  desired  to  wed 
a  younger  man,  who  had  captivated  her  affections. 
She  had  attempted  previously  to  obtain  a  divorce  and 
alimony  on  the  ground  of  adultery,  but  failing  to 
produce  testimony  to  support  this  allegation  the  case 
was  summarily  dismissed  by  the  judge  before  whom 
the  case  was  tried.  Then  it  was  that  the  wife  endea 
vored  to  purchase  the  testimony,  without  which  it 
would  be  impossible  for  her  to  carry  out  her  designs. 
A  so-called  private  detective  was  called  in,  and 
through  his  influence,  the  woman  was  secured  who 
agreed  to  furnish  the  required  evidence.  Dressing 
herself  in  plain  black  clothing,  and  with  mourning 
jewelry,  this  woman  called  upon  the  husband,  at  his 


226  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

place  of  business,  representing  herself  to  be  a  wealthy 
widow  who  was  desirous  of  disposing  of  some  prop 
erty.  This  led  to  a  second  visit  and  being  a  woman 
of  prepossessing  appearance  she  soon  won  the  regard 
of  the  unsuspecting  husband,  who  gave  her  the  best 
advice  as  to  the  transaction  she  had  sought  his  opinion 
upon.  At  length  a  plan  was  duly  arranged,  and  at  the 
proper  moment  the  wife,  accompanied  by  witnesses, 
burst  into  her  husband's  private  office,  to  find  the 
hired  accomplice,  with  her  arms  around  the  neck  ofj 
the  astonished  and  unsuspicious  man,  who  vainly  tried 
to  extricate  himself  from  this  damaging  combination 
of  circumstances.  In  this  case  the  husband  was 
entirely  guiltless  of  wrong-doing,  but  the  evidence  was 
too  strong — the  divorce  was  granted  with  liberal 
alimony,  and  four  months  afterwards,  the  designing 
and  degraded  wife,  who  had  paid  $1,000  for  this  manu 
factured  testimony,  was  married  to  this  young  man 
who  had  ingratiated  himself  into  her  favor.  As  a 
truthful  evidence  of  the  utter  depravity  of  human 
nature,  this  incident  is  sufficiently  suggestive,  and  it 
was  with  considerable  elation  that  I  afterwards  learned 
that  the  second  husband  of  this  woman  ran  away  from 
her  in  a  short  time,  taking  with  him  several  thousand 
dollars  which  she  had  fraudulently  obtained  from  the 
man  whom  she  had  so  basely  deceived  in  the  first 
instance. 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  227 


THE    MEDICAL     CHARLATAN    AND     HIS    MERCHANT 

DUPE. 

ONE  of  the  strangest  and  perhaps  the  most  in 
genious  and  protracted  "cases  of  blackmailing  came 
under  my  notice  a  few  years  ago.  The  parties  were 
an  unscrupulous  medical  charlatan,  a  designing 
woman,  and  a  reputable  merchant,  who  in  a  moment, 
of  weakness  succumbed  to  the  wiles  and  seductive 
charms  of  the  immoral  temptress. 

Mr.  Samuel  Wilkins  was  a  merchant  of  high  stand 
ing  in  the  commercial  world,  and  mingled  in  the  first 
circles  of  society  in  a  western  city.  A  middle-aged 
man  of  family,  whose  wife  was  interested  in  many 
acts  of  charity  and  benevolence,  and  whose  children 
were  reared  amid  the  comforts  and  restraints  of  a 
well  ordered  home.  Mr.  Wilkins  was  a  fine-looking 
gentleman,  a  good  liver,  a  hearty,  whole-souled  com 
panion,  and  thus  far  no  breath  of  scandal  had  ever 
touched  himself  or  his  home. 

Mr.  Wilkins  had  frequent  occasions  to  visit  New 
York,  in  order  to  purchase  goods  for  his  large  estab 
lishment,  and  to  transact  numerous  other  matters  of 
business  connected  with  the  proper  management  of 
his  large  commercial  interests.  While  in  that  city  he 


223          CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

invariably  made  his  headquarters  at  one  of  the  prom 
inent  hotels,  where  he  soon  became  known  to  the  reg 
ular  guests  of  this  high  toned  hostelry.  On  several 
occasions  while  stopping  at  this  hotel,  Mr.  Wilkins 
had  noticed  a  lady  of  prepossessing  appearance,  who 
seemed  to  be  alone  and  unattended.  After  repeated 
accidental  meetings  in  the  corridors  and  dining  room 
of  the  hotel,  an  acquaintance,  polite  and  deferential 
at  first,  sprang  up  between  them.  This  intercourse 
soon  led  to  quiet  social  chats  in  the  parlor,  during 
which  the  demure  maiden  informed  Mr.  Wilkins  that 
her  name  was  Mary  Curtis,  and  that  her  parents,  who 
were  in  comfortable  circumstances,  resided  in  a  dis 
tant  part  of  the  state,  where  she  might  also  enjoy 
the  comforts  of  a  home,  but  preferring  the  bustle  and 
gaiety  of  the  city,  she  had  come  to  New  York,  and 
was  engaged  as  a  music  teacher  by  several  of  the 
aristocratic  families  of  the  metropolis.  A  mutual  af 
fection  soon  ripened  between  the  western  merchant 
and  the  fair  music  teacher,  and  during  Mr.  Wilkins' 
frequent  visits  to  New  York,  he  escorted  the  young 
lady  to  the  theatre,  opera  and  to  little  recherche  sup 
pers,  which  appeared  to  be  exceedingly  enjoyable  to 
'them  both.  Mr.  Wilkins  also  made  several  presents 
to  his  new-found  friend,  which  gradually  increased  in 
value,  until  expensive  articles  of  wearing  apparel 
were  accepted  with  the  same  delightful  grace  and 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  229 

freedom   as  a  bouquet  of  flowers  or    a   box  at    the 
opera 

The  natural  and  inevitable  result  of  such  an  inti 
macy  was  that  the  seductive  and  charming  Mary  Cur 
tis  after  a  time  accepted  the  protection  and  bounty 
of  her  wealthy  admirer,  and  notwithstanding  her  per 
fect  knowledge  that  he  was  a  married  man  of  family, 
she  left  the  hotel  and  occupied  the  apartments  which 
were  selected  and  arranged  for  her  by  her  middle- 
ao^ed  but  infatuated  admirer. 

o 

Mary  was  supplied  with  a  liberal  allowance  of 
money,  and  every  wish  expressed  by  her  was  grati 
fied  by  the  enraptured  merchant,  who  seemed  to 
have  completely  lost  his  senses  over  the  ravishing 
beauty,  who  constituted  the  charm  of  his  existence, 
while  he  was  engaged  away  from  home.  Day  by  day 
the  demands  of  his  pretty  mistress  became  more  ex 
acting,  and  during  his  absences  from  her,  which  were 
inevitably  long,  the  mails  were  burdened  with  her  let 
ters,  in  which  some  new  caprice  would  require  an  ad 
ditional  outlay  on  the  part  of  her  married  admirer. 

Mr.  Wilkins  finally  became  annoyed  at  these  fre 
quent  demands  for  money,  and  resolved  to  break  off 
an  alliance  which  was  both  dangerous  to  his  standing 
in  the  church  and  society,  should  it  ever  become 
known,  and  extremely  costly  in  a  financial  sense.  On 
the  occasion,  therefore,  of  his  next  visit  to  New  York, 


230  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

he  determined  to  communicate  his  resolution  to  the 
young  woman  ;  but  when  he  arrived  he  learned  from 
the  trembling  lips  of  the  young  lady  that  she  was  in 
that  peculiar  condition  in  which  another  life  than  her 
own  was  struggling  for  existence,  and  that  she  feared 
she  was  about  to  become  a  mother. 

This  information  fell  upon  the  surprised  merchant 
as  the  death-knell  of  his  intentions  of  separating 
from  the  girl,  and  his  hopes  of  avoiding  further  ex 
pensive  outlays  in  her  behalf.  With  many  blushes 
and  copious  floods  of  tears  the  frightened  Mary  re 
counted  her  fears  and  forebodings,  and  her  piteous 
appeals  to  her  protector  were  so  genuine  and  heart 
rending,  that  Mr.  Wilkins,  instead  of  effecting  a  re 
lease  from  his  present  entanglements,  only  found 
himself  more  deeply  and  hopelessly  involved. 

Shortly  after  this  he  had  occasion  to  make  a  sud 
den  visit  to  New  York  on  an  imperative  matter  of 
business,  and  he  arrived  in  the  city  without  having 
given  Mary  any  intimation  of  his  coming.  On  re 
pairing  to  the  house  unannounced,  he  was  surprised 
to  find,  calmly  seated  in  her  apartments,  a  tall,  hand 
some  gentleman  who  appeared  to  be  making  himself 
perfectly  at  home,  and  who  exhibited  marked  evi 
dences  of  confusion  at  this  unexpected  meeting. 

Mary  was  the  most  composed  of  the  three,  and 
without  the  slightest  trace  of  excitement,  introduced 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  231 

the  stranger  to  Mr.  Wilkins  as  Dr.  Philip  Bristow,  a 
medical  gentleman  whom  she  had  engaged  to  attend 
her  in  her  approaching  accouchement,  and  who  had 
simply  made  a  professional  call  upon  her. 

Dr.  Philip  Bristow  was  a  man  above  six  feet  in 
height,  with  broad  shoulders  and  a  commanding 
figure.  His  hair  was  long  and  black,  and  was  worn 
in  graceful  curls,  and  his  long,  flowing  mustache  was 
of  the  same  color  ;  his  eyes  were  dark  and  piercing, 
and  his  complexion  was  clear,  though  dark.  Alto 
gether  the  doctor  was  a  very  handsome  man,  with  a 
fine  careless  air  of  bravado  about  him,  which  im 
pressed  one  with  mingled  feelings  of  admiration  and 
suspicion. 

The  doctor  expressed  himself  as  highly  gratified 
to  meet  the  husband  of  his  very  interesting  lady- 
patient,  and  after  a  few  words  of  amiable  courtesy, 
he  took  his  leave. 

Although  somewhat  suspicious  of  this  strange 
visitor,  Mr.  Wilkins  forebore  to  make  any  remark 
concerning  his  presence,  and  Mary,  fully  assured, 
devoted  herself  to  the  entertainment  of  her  unex 
pected  friend  with  a  grace  and  charm  which  could  not 
fail  to  have  its  effect. 

Thus  matters  continued  until  the  time  arrived, 
and  Mary  was  duly  delivered  of  a  bright,  healthy  boy. 
The  information  of  this  interesting  event  was  con- 


232  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

veyed  to  Mr.  Wilkins  by  the  urbane  doctor  by  letter, 
as  Mr.  Wilkins  was  compelled  to  remain  in  Chicago, 
during  the  progress  of  this  important  addition  to  his 
cares  and  anxieties  in  New  York. 

When  Mr.  Wilkins  next  visited  Mary  he  was  sur 
prised  to  find  her  looking  very  rosy  and  healthy  for  a 
new  mother,  and  though  still  confined  to  her  bed, 
she  evinced  an  animation  of  spirits  scarcely  in  accord 
with  her  weakened  condition.  The  baby  was 
brought  into  the  room,  in  the  arms  of  its  nurse,  and 
to  Mr.  Wilkins'  experienced  eyes  appeared  to  be  a 
remarkably  robust  and  well-grown  youngster  for  the 
limited  time  he  had  been  favored  with  existence. 

He  began  to  grow  more  suspicious  and  alarmed, 
and  when  the  handsome  doctor  called  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  and  presented  a  bill  for  $350  for  his  serv 
ices,  his  suspicions  were  confirmed,  and  his  alarm 
increased.  He,  however,  held  his  peace,  and  with 
many  professions  of  thankfulness,  he  paid  the  doc 
tor's  claim,  and  made  further  arrangements  for  the 
care  and  welfare  of  the  mother  and  her  babe. 

On  his  return  home,  however,  Mr.  Wilkins  sought 
his  legal  adviser,  an  old  and  valued  friend  and  com 
panion,  and  he  related  to  him  without  evasion  or  con 
cealment  the  details  of  the  whole  affair.  The  attorney, 
who  was  also  a  man  of  the  world,  at  once  gave  the 
opinion  that  this  was  one  of  the  most  decided,  but 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  233 

delicately  operated  cases  of  blackmail  that  had  come 
under  his  notice,  and  advised  Mr.  Wilkins  to  extricate 
himself  as  soon  as  possijble  from  the  toils  of  this 
designing  woman  and  her  unscrupulous  physician,  who 
in  the  opinion  of  the  astute  attorney,  was  nothing 
more  or  less  than  her  paramour,  and  fellow  con 
spirator. 

Mr.  Sandford,  the  attorney,  being  a  warm  friend 
of  mine,  applied  to  me  for  assistance,  and  as  I  was 
well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Wilkins,  and  fully  coincided 
in  the  opinion  that  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
sharpers,  I  agreed  to  undertake  the  matter  and  to 
secure  his  release  from  further  demands  if  possible. 

I  at  once  set  about  the  performance  of  my  task, 
and  ere  many  days  I  was  in  a  position  to  fully  gain 
all  the  information  I  desired.  The  doctor  was  care 
fully  watched,  and  he  was  found  to  be  one  of  the  most 
notorious  of  those  scoundrelly  physicians  who  make 
a  specialty  of  treating  diseases  peculiar  to  women, 
and  who  was  a  noted  and  unscurpulous  abortionist. 
The  house  of  Mary  Curtis  was  also  well  shadowed, 
and  it  was  found  that,  notwithstanding  the  fact  of  her 
recent  motherhood,  she  received  almost  daily  visits 
Irom  this  disinterested  doctor,  who  always  remained 
all  night  when  making  his  daily  professional  calls. 

Satisfied  of  the  undue  intimacy  existing  between 
Dr.  Philip  Bristow  and  Mr.  Wilkins'  fair  and  lovely 


234  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

Mary,  my  next  move  was  to  ascertain  full  particulars 
about  the  child,  and  with  the  assistance  of  an  intelligent 
female  operative,  who  gained  the  confidence  of  the 
nurse  of  the  frail  Mary,  I  learned  enough  to  convince 
me  that  the  child  which  had  been  imposed  upon  Mr. 
Wilkins,  as  his  offspring,  had  been  procured  from 
some  foundling  asylum,  for  the  propose  of  deceiving 
that  gentleman,  and  strengthening  the  hold  of  these 
backmailers  upon  their  victim,  who  fearing  the  conse 
quences  of  an  exposure  of  his  relations  with  Mary 
Curtis  would  be  willing  to  submit  to  any  demands 
upon  his  purse  in  order  to  insure  secrecy. 

Nor  was  I  wrong  in  my  convictions,  and  at  last  I 
was  armed  with  sufficient  proofs  of  the  fact  that  Dr. 
Bristow  and  Mary  Curtis  had  lived  together  as  man 
and  wife  before  she  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Wilkins,  and  I  had  learned  enough  of  this  pseudo 
doctor  to  know  that  he  had  been  connected  with 
similar  experiments  in  other  cities.  The  fact  of  the 
baby  having  been  taken  from  a  foundling's  home,  was 
also  proven  beyond  doubt,  and  at  last,  having  ob 
tained  all  the  information  I  desired,  Mr.  Wilkins  was 
instructed  to  peremptorily  refuse  to  pay  any  further 
demands  which  might  be  made  upon  him  from  that 
quarter.  This  he  did  emphatically  and  without  any 
unnecessary  waste  of  words,  and  his  refusal  was  met 
by  a  threat  from  the  doctor  to  bring  suit  against 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  235 

him,  and  to  inform  his  wife  and  family  of  his  connec 
tion  with  Mary  Curtis. 

At  this  state  of  affairs,  I  came  to  the  rescue  in 
person,  and  boldly  entering  the  doctor's  office,  I 
demanded  an  interview  with  the  debased  quack.  Our 
conversation  was  very  short,  and  as  may  be  imagined 
directly  to  the  point.  I  informed  the  weak-kneed 
braggart  that  I  was  in  possession  of  the  facts  of  his 
early  history,  and  if  he  persisted  in  hounding  Mr. 
Wilkins,  he  would  find  himself  in  prison  for  a  graver 
charge  than  blackmail,  and  with  a  sure  promise  of 
conviction  and  punishment.  The  medical  fraud  soon 
discovered  that  his  dance  was  over,  and  after  signing 
a  paper,  in  which  he  acknowledged  the  whole  scheme 
to  be  one  of  fraud  and  deception,  and  promising  to 
leave  the  city  with  his  equally  guilty  mistress,  I  took 
my  departure. 

A  few  days  after  this,  the  doctor  disappeared 
mysteriously  and  the  apartments  of  Mary  Curtis 
were  vacated.  The  child  was  returned  to  the  Found 
ling's  home,  and  Mr.  Wilkins  was  relieved  from  any 
further  demands  from  this  unprincipled  pair  of  black 
mailers.  The  lesson  was  not  lost  upon  him,  and 
after  a  frank  and  manly  explanation  to  his  wife,  he 
settled  himself  down  to  a  life  of  simple  and  happy 
virtue  and  content. 

Of  Dr.  Bristow  and  Mary  Curtis,  I  have  heard  at 


236  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

frequent  intervals,  but  they  have  kept  out  of  my  way 
too  carefully  to  incur  another  visit  from  me,  which  if 
ever  repeated,  would  be  to  fully  carry  out  the  threat 
I  made  to  them  on  the  occasion  of  my  first  call  upon 
the  charlatan  doctor  and  the  blackmailing  abortionist. 


A  PRETTY  LAW-BREAKER. 

SOPHIE  LEWIS  was  a  beautiful  girl  when  I  first 
met  her.  Her  hair  was  of  raven  blackness  and  curled 

gracefully   around   her   broad    low    white    forehead, 

• 

beneath  which  her  lustrous  eyes  gleamed  with  a  soft 
brightness  that  was  bewitching.  Her  bright-red  lips 
and  pearly  teeth  gave  an  additional  charm  to  a  face 
that  was  unmistakably  beautiful. 

The  manner  of  my  first  introduction  to  her  occur 
red  under  circumstances  at  once  peculiar  and  not  very 
creditable  to  the  lady.  Several  years  ago  many  of 
the  principal  dry-goods  merchants  of  the  city  of  Chi 
cago  were  largely  victimized  by  a  numerous  coterie 
of  shop-lifters  who  for  a  long  time  effectually  eluded 
their  vigilance.  Every  day  articles  would  disappear, 
and  in  the  most  unaccountable  manner.  Clerks  and 
"  floor-walkers "  were  watchful  and  vigilant,  but  in 
spite  of  their  utmost  endeavors  the  closing  of  the 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  237 

stores  at  night  would  reveal  the  fact  that  during  the 
day  articles  had  been  stolen  which  were  more  or  less 
valuable,  and  in  a  manner  which  entirely  escaped  detec 
tion.  The  continued  success  of  these  thieves  alarmed 
the  merchants,  and  at  length  finding  no  diminution 
in  the  operations  of  these  light  fingered  individuals, 
my  agency  was  applied  to  by  several  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  mercantile  community.  I  accord 
ingly  placed  in  each  one  of  their  stores  watchful 
operatives  in  the  capacities  of  clerks,  salesmen  and 
floor-walkers,  who  were  instructed  to  be  ever  on  the 
alert  for  the  detection  of  these  pestilent  thieves. 

In  one  of  the  largest  of  these  establishments,  that 
of  Brown,  Armstrong  &  Co.,  I  placed  my  son  Will 
iam  A.  Pinkerton,  feeling  fully  confident  that  under 
his  surveillance  any  attempt  at  shop-lifting  would  be 
met  by  instant  detection  and  prompt  punishment. 

One  day  shortly  after  his  appearance  in  the  store, 
he  noticed  a  handsomely  dressed  young  lady  who 
awakened  an  instinctive  suspicion  in  his  mind.  Why, 
he  could  not  tell,  but  as  she  swept  past  him  in  flowing 
robes,  the  idea  flashed  through  his  mind  that  this  lady 
required  watching,  and  he  quietly  and  unobservedly 
kept  her  in  view.  j 

The  object  of  this  unaccountable  suspicion  was  a 
tall,  well-formed  young  lady  of  about  twenty  years  of 
age.  Her  hair  was  black  and  waving,  and  her  dark 


238  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

eyes  were  full  of  expression,  and  a  vivacity  that  was 
captivating,  while  the  rich  color  mantled  her  cheek 
giving  to  the  otherwise  pale  face  a  sweetness  that  was 
bewitching.  Her  apparel  was  of  the  richest  material 
and  of  the  most  fashionable  design,  sparkling  dia 
monds  were  suspended  from  her  small  shell-like  ears 
and  glistened  brightly  upon  her  taper-fingers. 

Certainly  not  one  who  would  ordinarily  be  accused 
of  shop-lifting,  but  William  could  not  overcome  the 
suspicions  which  impressed  him  so  forcibly  as  his  eyes 
rested  upon  her  for  the  first  time.  A  beautiful  in 
genuous  face  is  not  always  a  sure  index  of  the  purity 
and  honor  of  the  possessor,  and  very  often  in  my  ex 
perience  it  has  only  been  the  outward  sham  which 
covered  a  base  and  degraded  heart. 

This  woman  wore  an  article  of  apparel  called  a 
"  dolman,"  a  loose  mantle  with  wide  flowing  sleeves, 
which  was  made  of  the  finest  quality  of  silk.  As 
William  followed  her  carelessly  around  the  store,  he 
noticed  several  times  that  as  she  would  inquire  the 
prices  of  the  various  articles  displayed  upon  the 
counters,  those  wide  sleeves  would  invariably  cover  a 
large  amount  of  space  which  was  filled  with  numerous 
articles  of  value  openly  exposed  for  sale.  In  her 
hand  the  lady  carried  a  goodly  sized  and  very  hand 
some  shopping  reticule  of  unique  design,  and  the 
watchful  detective  was  confident  that  several  times  in 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  239 

her  wanderings  about  the  store  he   noticed  a  suspi 
cious  movement  of  this  embroidered  receptacle. 

A  closer  scrutiny  rendered  the  conviction  certain, 
and  as  the  lady,  having  concluded  her  visit,  turned  to 
leave  the  store,  William  stepped  in  front  of  her. 
Politely  removing  his  hat  he  addressed  her  : 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  madam,  but  I  am  afraid  you 
will  be  required  to  accompany  me." 

The  beautiful  face  paled  before  the  searching  eyes 
of  the  determined  detective,  and  her  lips  attempted 
an  angry  reply. 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  she  inquired,  in  a 
faltering  voice. 

"Only  this,  madam,"  replied  William.  "I  think 
you  have  stolen  goods  in  that  satchel,  and  a  search  is 
necessary  to  disprove  the  accusation." 

The  pallor  had  left  her  face  now,  and  a  bright 
scarlet  tinged  her  cheeks,  her  eyes  flashed  an  angry 
gaze  at  the  man  before  her. 

"  How  dare  you  speak  so  to  me  ?"  came  in  quick 
utterances  from  the  scornful  lips.  "  Stand  aside  at 
once  and  let  me  pass  !" 

The  air  of  command  and  dignity  was  most  per 
fectly  assumed,  and  the  innocent  look  of  her  eyes 
might  have  deceived  many  ;  but  William  had  been 
too  well  skilled  in  matters  of  deceptive  appearances 
to  be  disturbed  in  the  least  by  the  bewitching  display 


240  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

of  anger  on  the  part  of  the  lady  before  him.  Still 
maintaining  his  placid  demeanor,  he  said  : 

"  Madam,  you  may  take  your  choice,  you  will 
either  accompany  me,  or  I  will  call  an  officer  at  once 
and  place  you  in  custody  ;  but  this  mysterious  satchel 
of  yours  must  be  examined." 

As  he  spoke  he  reached  out  his  hand  and  took 
from  the  unresisting  arm  of  the  lady  the  reticule 
which  she  carried.  Finding  her  efforts  unavailing, 
the  lady  recovered  her  composure  and  signified  her 
inclination  to  accompany  my  son. 

"You  will  find  that  the  best  plan,"  said  William, 
as  he  offered  her  his  arm  ;  "  you  will  thus  avoid  the 
mortification  of  a  public  exposure." 

Requesting  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  composed 
the  firm  to  accompany  them,  the  trio  quietly  left  the 
store,  and  after  a  short  walk  arrived  at  my  Agency, 
where  the  fair  lady  was  conducted  into  a  private 
office,  and  where  she  breathlessly  awaited  the  result 
of  the  investigation. 

As  was  expected,  the  reticule  contained  several 
articles  that  had  undoubtedly  been  stolen  from  the 
store  in  which  she  was  detected,  and,  although  of 
comparatively  trifling  value,  the  fact  of  her  guilt  was 
plainly  demonstrated  to  the  wondering  merchant  who 
stood  by. 

No  sooner  had  the  stolen  goods  been  discovered 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  241 

than  the  merchant's  manner  underwent  a  remarkable 
change.  Assuming  an  appearance  of  anger  he 
addressed  the  lady  in  the  most  abusive  terms,  and 
finally,  to  the  utter  amazement  of  my  son,  he  con 
cluded  by  demanding  of  the  discomfited  lady  the 
sum  of  three  hundred  dollars  in  order  to  compro 
mise  the  matter,  and  to  save  her  the  exposure  of  a 
public  trial. 

This  novel  and  unexpected  turn  of  affairs  was  a 
complete  surprise  to  William,  and  so  exasperated  did 
he  become  at  this  attempt  to  blackmail  an  unfor 
tunate  woman  by  a  man  of  supposed  respectability 
and  business  reputation,  that  rising  to  his  feet  and 
pointing  to  the  recovered  articles,  he  said  : 

"  Mr.  -  — ,  there  are  the  goods  that  have  been 
recovered  ;  take  them  and  leave  this  office  ;  we  have 
nothing  to  do  with  transactions  such  as  you  pro 
pose  !"  and  then  walking  to  the  door  he  threw  it 
wide  open,  then  turning  to  the  lady — "  Madam,  we 
have  nothing  further  to  do  with  this  matter,  and  you 
are  at  liberty  to  depart  at  once." 

Before  the  astonished  merchant  could  recover 
himself  sufficiently  to  utter  a  word  the  woman  had 
disappeared,  and  William  had  entered  an  adjoining 
room,  leaving  the  discomfited  blackmailer  to  find  his 
way  out  as  best  he  could. 

The   beauty   of   this   sinful   woman    piqued    the 


ii 


242  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

curiosity  of  my  son  and  he  determined  to  learn  her 
history,  and  not  long  afterwards  he  was  successful  in 
acquiring  all  the  information  he  desired  in  relation  to 
her  career  and  antecedents.  The  young  woman  was 
found  to  be  one  Sophie  Lewis,  a  daughter  of  one  of 
the  most  noted  thieves  of  the  day.  She  had  been 
reared  in  an  atmosphere  of  crime  from  her  infancy, 
and  had  been  a  thief  almost  from  the  cradle.  Her 
beauty  had  been  a  safeguard  to  her,  and  very  often 
when  detected  in  petty  pilferings,  her  beautiful  plead 
ing,  tear-filled  eyes  had  saved  her  from  the  punish 
ment  which  would  have  certainly  overtaken  one  less 
favored  by  nature. 

This  was  her  first  appearance  in  Chicago,  and 
consequently  her  first  introduction  to  the  detective, 
who,  although  being  perfectly  conversant  with  the 
history  of  the  father,  did  not  until  now  know  of  the 
existence  of  this  beautiful  but  dishonest  daughter. 

Shortly  after  this  the  beautiful  Jewess,  for  such 
she  was  proven  to  be,  became  acquainted  with  a 
noted  bank  burglar  and  desperado  named  Ned  Little. 
Her  handsome  face  attracted  the  admiration  of  this 
lawless  man,  and  after  a  short  but  loving  courtship 
they  were  married.  By  this  union  five  children  were 
born,  and  the  mother  endeavored  to  bring  them  up 
in  an  honorable  manner.  Every  attention  was  paid 
to  their  edacation,  and  they  never  knew  the  preca- 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  243 

rious  calling  of  their  father  who  practiced  his  profes 
sion  with  unremitting  ardor,  and  who  accumulated 
quite  a  large  sum  of  money. 

At  last  Ned  Little  getting  into  difficulty  fled  with 
his  wife  and  family  to  Canada  where  he  would  be  safe 
from  the  officers  of  the  United  States,  and  here  he 
established  himself  in  a  fine  villa  and  lived  in  magnifi 
cent  style  for  a  number  of  years.  Tiring  at  length 
of  the  uneventful  life  he  was  leading,  he  left  his 
Canadian  home  and  began  again  the  life  of  crime 
which  he  had  led  before.  It  would  have  been  better 
for  him  if  he  had  been  contented  to  remain  where  he 
was,  for  very  soon  after  this,  becoming  identified  with 
several  thieving  operations,  he  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  officers  of  the  law  and  was  arrested  on  Long 
Island  upon  a  charge  of  bank-robbery.  Upon  being 
searched  a  package  of  ten  thousand  dollars  was  found 
upon  his  person,  which  was  recognized  as  having 
been  stolen  some  months  previously  from  one  Mike 
Murray,  a  New  York  sporting  man,  who  identifying 
his  property  was  rejoiced  to  have  returned  to  him  a 
sum  of  money,  the  recovery  of  which  he  had  long 
since  abandoned  all  hope.  Little  was  placed  upon 
trial  for  his  offenses  and  being  duly  committed  was 
sentenced  to  a  long  term  of  imprisonment. 

Sophie  Little,  the  wife  of  the  imprisoned  burglar, 
from  this  time  began  a  course   of  living  which   soon 


244  CONFIDENCE    AND     -BLACKMAIL. 

resulted  in  her  downfall.  She  had  pre\iously  con 
tracted  the  habit  of  opium-eating,  and  very  soon  after 
this  became  a  slave  to  the  pernicious  drug  and  to  the 
use  of  morphine. 

Leaving  her  children  to  the  care  of  friends  and  in 
educational  institutions,  this  woman,  who  still  retained 
many  traces  of  her  former  beauty,  became  connected 
with  several  gangs  of  sneak  thieves  and  traveled 
over  the  country  in  their  company.  Her  part  in  these 
transactions  was  what  is  known  as  a  '*  call  out,"  and 
the  duty  which  devolved  upon  her  was  as  follows  : 

The  bank  to  be  operated  upon  would  be  selected, 
generally  in  some  country  town  where  but  few  clerks 
were  employed  and  where,  during  certain  hours  in  the 
day,  the  office  would  be  frequently  left  to  the  care  of 
a  single  official.  At  that  time  a  party  would  drive  up 
to  the  front  of  the  building  in  a  carriage  and  would 
request  the  clerk  to  step  out  to  the  sidewalk,  as  the 
lady  was  an  invalid  and  could  not  leave  the  vehicle. 
The  unsuspecting  clerk  would  comply  with  the  request, 
when  he  would  be  immediately  engaged  in  a  conversa 
tion  upon  matters  of  business  by  the  party  who  had 
requested  his  presence,  and  while  thus  engrossed,  the 
rest  of  the  gang,  or  whoever  had  been  deputed  to  do 
so,  would  sneak  into  the  bank  and  take  any  package 
of  money  that  could  be  easily  reached  and  make  their 
escape ;  after  which  the  clerk  would  be  dismissed  by 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  245 

his  entertaining  invalid  customer,  and  the  party  would 
make  off  with  their  booty. 

For  some  time  she  continued  this  mode  of  living, 
and  during  the  two  or  three  years  that  followed  her 
husband's  imprisonment  she  had  been  associated  with 
the  most  of  the  prominent  gangs  of  sneak  thieves  in 
the  country,  with  whom  she  managed  to  successfully 
escape  detection  and  to  maintain  herself  and  her 
children. 

She  soon,  however,  became  morally  bad,  and  the 
next  information  that  was  received  of  her  was  to  the 
effect  that,  abandoning  her  old  profession,  she  had 
adopted  the  nefarious  calling  of  a  blackmailer,  and 
had  on  more  than  one  occasion  been  successful  in 
fleecing  gentlemen  of  standing  and  supposed  respect 
ability  of  various  sums  of  money.  The  first  case 
that  came  to  my  notice  occurred  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  by  her  beauty  and  captivating  manners  she 
had  completely  won  the  affections  of  a  prominent 
merchant  of  that  city.  This  man  was  married  and  the 
father  of  an  interesting  family,  but  so  thoroughly  had 
the  wily  adventuress  wormed  herself  into  his  affec 
tions,  that  the  man,  forgetting  the  ties  which  bound 
him  to  his  home,  careless  of  the  duties  which  he  owed 
to  society,  yielded  himself  to  an  infatuation  he  seemed 
unable  to  control.  The  result  of  this  intrigue  was 
that  the  merchant  was  lured  into  a  chamber  in  the 


246  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

Grand  Hotel,  where  this  tempting  siren  resided,  and 
then  having  disrobed,  the  unprincipled  woman  secured 
his  clothes  and  impudently  demanded  the  sum  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  or  failing  to  recover  this,  she  threat 
ened  to  alarm  the  house,  when  he  would  be  discovered 
and  his  reputation  ruined. 

Finding  it  impossible  to  escape-  the  snare  into 
which  he  had  fallen,  the  deluded  man  compromised 
with  this  depraved  woman  by  agreeing  to  give  her  a 
check  for  five  thousand  dollars,  which  she  accepted, 
and  receiving  this  she  permitted  him  to  depart  a 
poorer  and  a  wiser  man.  When  the  designing 
woman  presented  the  check  for  payment  she  was 
exceedingly  surprised  to  find  that  her  dupe  had 
anticipated  her,  that  payment  had  been  stopped,  and 
she  was  promptly  arrested. 

This  was  a  turn  in  the  tide,  very  unexpected  to 
the  adventuress,  and  learning  that  the  merchant  had 
succeeded  in  obtaining  damaging  information  of  her 
previous  history,  she  was  very  glad  to  accept  the 
terms  he  offered  her  and  to  leave  the  city  at  once. 

Again  she  was  heard  from  in  Boston,  where  she 
was  more  successful,  and  where  a  pious  member  of 
an  orthodox  church,  whose  voice  was  loudest  in  the 
tabernacle,  and  whose  virtue  was  believed  to  be 
impregnable,  succumbed  to  the  bewitching  glances  of 
the  seductive  temptress  and  was  glad  to  escape  a 


CONFIDENCE     AND     BLACKMAIL.  247 

scene   of  exposure  by  paying   her  a  goodly  sum  of 
money. 

After  this  adventure  she  returned  to  the  west  and 
lived  for  a  long  time  in  Detroit,  where  she  again  took 
up  the  business  of  a  shop-lifter  ;  but  being  detected, 
was  arrested  in  that  city  and  held  for  trial.  Several 
influential  gentlemen,  however,  at  this  time,  out  of 
sympathy  for  the  five  children,  which  this  woman  still 
maintained,  interested  themselves  in  her  behalf,  and 
under  a  promise  of  reform,  she  was  allowed  her 
liberty. 

Reform  was  impossible  with  a  woman  of  her 
temperament ;  her  appetite  for  excitement  and 
wickedness  remained  unabated,  and  she  continued 
the  use  of  the  drugs  which  had  originally  led  to  her 
degrading  practices.  For  a  time,  however,  she  dis 
appeared  from  the  notice  of  the  public,  and  but  little 
was  heard  from  her,  but  at  length  she  came  to  the 
surface  again,  and  in  a  more  disgusting  light  than 
ever  before. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1879,  a  rather  pre 
possessing  female,  apparently  on  the  friendly  side  of 
forty,  made  her  appearance  in  the  city  of  Jackson, 
Michigan,  in  the  role  of  a  wealthy  widow  \vho  was 
desirous  of  investing  in  real  estate  in  that  vicinity. 
She  took  up  her  quarters  at  a  prominent  hotel  in  the 
city,  where  she  registered  herself  under  the  name  of 


248  CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL. 

Mrs.  Kate  Larungie,  and  represented  herself  as  but 
recently  from  the  South. 

She  soon  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  prominent 
real  estate  broker,  who  at  that  time  was  quite 
wealthy,  but  who  has  since,  owing  to  a  succession  of 
reverses,  become  impoverished.  One  day  while  she 
was  walking  along  the  main  street  with  this  gentle 
man,  a  buggy  containing  a  gentleman  of  about  fifty 
years  of  age,  and  his  wife  passed  them,  and  saluta 
tions  passed  between  the  two  gentlemen.  The  oc 
cupant  of  the  carriage  was  a  Mr.  Alvin  Pat  ton,  a 
man  of  considerable  means,  and  who  despite  his 
years,  was  regarded  as  a  rather  gay  old  boy.  The 
comely  form  of  Mrs.  Larungie,  and  her  stylish  ap 
pearance,  at  once  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr. 
Patton,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  inquiring  from  his 
friend  the  name  of  the  lady  who  so  much  interested 
him.  The  information  was  accorded  him,  and  also 
the  fact  that  the  lady  was  desirous  of  purchasing  real 
estate.  As  Patton  was  an  extensive  owner  of  pro 
perty,  he  invited  the  agent  to  bring  the  interesting 
widow  to  his  house,  which  he  did,  and  the  acquaint 
ance  thus  begun  soon  ripened  into  an  intercourse 
scarcely  in  accord  with  the  strictest  ideas  of  morality. 

Mr.  Patton's  wife  shortly  after  this  departed  for 
the  South  for  the  benefit  of  her  health,  and  solitude 
reigned  in  the  large  mansion.  The  gay  husband 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  249 

grew  lonesome,  and  pined  for  the  distractions  of 
female  society,  and  on  the  second  evening  after  the 
departure  of  the  unsuspecting  wife,  the  dashing 
southern  widow  was  admitted,  under  the  cover  of 
darkness,  into  the  lonely  residence  of  the  disconsolate 
Patton.  From  that  time  forth,  the  sacred  precincts 
of  a  respectable  home  were  transformed  into  a  Satur- 
naiian  realm,  with  the  dashing  and  depraved  widow 
as  priestess  over  the  nocturnal  orgies.  Patton  in 
vited  two  friends  of  the  same  "  buckish  "  tendencies, 
and  over  cards  and  wine  the  hours  passed  away  upon 
the  wings  of  pleasure.  What  transpired  within  the 
walls  of  that  reputable  home  would  scarcely  be  a 
revelation  for  ears  polite.  The  spell  of  the  enchant 
ress  was  upon  them,  and  it  was  afterward  testified 
that,  heated  with  wine,  these  men  would  remove  the 
drapery  from  the  form  of  the  lascivious  widow,  and 
hold  high  carnival  in  the  presence  of  her  unvailed 
charms.  The  woman,  though  apparently  entering 
with  hearty  zest  into  these  disgusting  scenes,  was 
simply  playing  a  part,  and  never  for  a  moment  lost 
sight  of  her  object  ;  but  unfortunately  for  the  success 
of  her  schemes,  she  was  too  precipitate  in  her  de 
mands.  On  the  fifth  morning  after  these  events  had 
commenced,  the  widow  demanded  a  sum  of  money 
from  the  owner  of  the  house,  and  he,  being  of  a 
miserly  disposition,  declined  to  accede  to  her  request, 
ii* 


250  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

This  was  the  signal  for  a  scene  of  violence  as  unex 
pected  as  it  was  disastrous.  The  irate  widow,  seiz 
ing  a  large  conch  shell  that  lay  conveniently  near, 
dashed  it  through  an  expensive  mirror,  shattering  it 
into  a  hundred  pieces,  and  her  temper  gaining  fury 
from  the  first  ebullition,  she  became  unmanageable. 
Curtains,  luxurious  furniture,  and  articles  of  expen 
sive  ornamentation  were  soon  strewn  about  the  room 
in  a  state  of  dilapidation  and  confusion  that  was  ap 
palling.  The  feelings  of  the  surprised  Mr.  Patton 
may  well  be  imagined,  and  summoning  up  all  his 
strength  and  fortitude,  the  lady  found  herself  upon 
the  sidewalk.  An  attorney  was  immediately  sent  for, 
and  Kate  accompanied  him  to  his  office,  where  she 
divulged  to  him  her  demand  for  money  and  the  events 
that  had  followed.  She  engaged  his  services  in  a 
suit  to  be  commenced  against  Patton,  at  the  same 
time  accusing  him  of  attempting  to  take  her  life  with 
a  revolver. 

On  the  following  morning  the  unscrupulous  wom 
an  again  repaired  to  the  Patton  mansion,  and  grasp 
ing  the  bell-knob  rang  a  summons  loud  and  long. 
The  owner  of  the  premises  was  within,  but  remem 
bering  the  experiences  of  the  preceding  day,  he  de 
clined  to  respond  and  for  fully  half  an  hour  the  undis 
mayed  widow  pulled  at  the  unoffending  bell,  and 
rained  its  tintinnabulations  into  the  old  man's  ears. 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  251 

Of  course  this  proceeding  attracted  a  crowd  and  the 
sidewalk  was  soon  filled  with  pedestrians  who  enjoyed 
the  scene  immensely.  At  length,  finding  her  efforts 
at  the  bell  unavailing  she  began  to  try  the  windows, 
and  finding  one  unfastened  she  raised  it  quickly  and 
sprang  into  the  room,  boldly  confronting  the  fright 
ened  Patton,  who  cowered  trembling  into  a  corner. 
Without  a  word,  she  rushed  into  the  bedroom,  and 
hastily  removing  her  outer  clothing,  jumped  into  the 
bed.  This  was  too  much  for  the  cowardly  man  to 
endure,  and  he  immediately  dispatched  a  servant  to 
the  house  of  one  of  his  friends  to  come  to  his  assist 
ance.  This  friend  was  one  of  the  two  who  had  par 
ticipated  in  the  festivities  before  matters  assumed 
such  a  warlike  attitude,  and  he  hastened  at  once  to 
relieve  the  anxiety  of  the  poor  victim  who  had 
besought  his  aid. 

o 

Arriving  at  the  house,  the  woman  protested  that 
she  had  been  there  all  night,  and  made  an  attempt  to 
repeat  her  demolishing  operations  of  the  day  before. 
This  the  new-comer  would  not  permit,  and  being  a 
man  of  stalwart  proportions,  and  of  considerable 
nerve,  he  informed  the  woman  that  he  would  brain 
her  with  his  cane  if  she  attempted  any  further  efforts 
of  that  kind.  Finding  that  he  was  in  earnest  she  de 
sisted,  and  a  policeman  was  finally  sent  for,  who  con 
ducted  the  discomfited  woman  to  jail. 


252  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

A  trial  followed,  in  which  the  disgusting  details  of 
their  illicit  meetings  were  brought  to  light,  and  now  a 
shadow  is  resting  upon  the  homes  of  these  men,  who, 
until  the  advent  of  this  dangerous  creature  were  re 
garded  as  respectable  and  high-toned ;  and  the 
woman,  who  was  none  other  than  Sophie  Little,  in 
stead  of  receiving  the  money  she  demanded,  found 
herself  an  inmate  of  a  prison. 

How  long  she  remained  in  jail  is  not  known,  but 
it  is  believed  that  her  pardon  was  urged  by  the  very 
men  whom  she  had  attempted  to  bleed,  and  she  finally 
returned  to  Detroit,  where  she  conducted  herself 
more  quietly  than  she  had  done  for  some  time  pre 
viously. 

In  January,  1881,  she  became  the  mother  of  a 
child,  and,  considering  the  fact  that  her  husband  had 
been  in  prison  for  several  years,  and  is  still  in  durance 
vile,  the  matter  occasioned  some  comment.  The 
woman,  immediately  after  her  recovery,  began  again 
a  systematic  course  of  attempted  blackmail,  and  more 
than  one  prominent  citizen  of  Detroit  was  threatened 
with  exposure  as  the  father  of  her  child,  unless  he 
responded  liberally  to  her  demands  for  money.  But 
by  this  time  she  had  become  too  well  known  to  suc 
ceed  in  her  demands,  or  to  work  any  harm  in  case  of 
refusal,  and  the  "  morphine  maniac,"  as  she  was  now 
generally  called,  found  herself  defeated  at  all  points 


CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL.  253 

in  her  pernicious  attempts  to  injure  the  reputations  of 
respectable  men. 

At  length,  becoming  exasperated  at  her  lack  of 
success,  or  acting  under  the  influence  of  her  favorite 
drug,  she  attempted  to  take  the  life  of  a  respectable 
citizen  of  the  latter  named  city.  Mr.  Harding  is  a 
quiet  mannered,  reputable  gentleman,  who  has  always 
been  regarded  with  favor  by  every  one  with  whom  he 
was  acquainted,  and  the  attack  upon  him  was  a  sur 
prise  to  many. 

The  circumstances  attending  this  occurrence  ap 
peared  to  be  as  follows:  During  the  month  of  March 
Mr.  Harding  had  arrived  at  his  office  in  the  morning, 
and  was  engaged  in  transacting  some  business  with 
three  gentleman  who  had  called  for  that  purpose, 
when  a  lady,  heavily  vailed,  entered,  and  asked  to  see 
Mr.  Harding.  That  gentleman  informed  the  lady 
that  he  would  be  disengaged  presently,  and  requested 
her  to  take  a  seat,  which  she  did.  After  the  business 
which  had  occupied  his  attention  had  been  satisfacto 
rily  disposed  of,  the  three  gentlemen  withdrew,  and 
Mr.  Harding  turned  his  attention  to  the  lady,  who 
still  sat  heavily  vailed  in  his  office. 

As  the  door  closed  upon  the  retreating  figures  of 
the  three  men,  the  woman  arose  suddenly  to  her  feet, 
and,  throwing  aside  her  vail,  addressed  him  in  a  loud, 
excited  voice  : 


254  CONFIDENCE    AND    BLACKMAIL. 

"  Henry  Harding,  are  you  prepared  to  make  re 
paration  for  the  wrong  you  have  done  me?" 

"  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean,"  said  Mr.  Hard 
ing,  utterly  surprised  at  the  demand  so  suddenly  made 
upon  him. 

"  You  know  very  well  what  I  mean,"  answered  the 
woman,  glaring  fiercely  at  him. 

"  Indeed,  madame,  I  do  not,"  quickly  replied  Mr. 
Harding. 

Without  another  word,  the  tigress  drew  from 
under  her  cloak  a  large  revolver,  and  pointing  it  di 
rectly  in  his  face,  pulled  the  trigger.  The  gentleman 
was  too  quick,  however,  for  the  excited  woman,  and, 
throwing  up  her  arm,  the  ball  was  lodged  in  the  ceil 
ing.  Instantly  she  was  disarmed,  and  a  policeman 
was  sent  for,  into  whose  custody  she  was  remanded, 
and  by  him  she  was  conducted  away. 

She  had  evidently  made  a  very  bad  selection  in 
her  choice  of  a  victim  this  time,  and  all  the  vile 
charges  she  urged  against  Mr.  Harding  were  utterly 
disproved  by  reliable  witnesses,  and  at  last  the  un 
fortunate  and  wicked  woman  will  be  allowed  the  nec 
essary  time  for  reflection  and  reformation  under  the 
correctionary  influences  of  a  loss  of  liberty  and  strict 
prison  discipline. 

What  her  future  career  may  be  it  is  impossible  to 
say,  but  for  her  children  who  will  be  dependent  upon 


CONFIDENCE    AND     BLACKMAIL.  255 

the  attention  of  strangers,  and  whose  parents  are 
both  inmates  of  prisons,  a  feeling  of  profound  sympa 
thy  exists,  which  may  eventually  lead  them  into  the 
right  paths  and  conduce  to  lives  of  morality. 

I  have  thus  attempted  to  relate  several  of  the 
general  features  of  the  operations  of  the  confidence 
man,  the  bunko  steerer  and  the  blackmailer,  and 
have  selected  those  in  which  the  least  objectionable 
revelations  were  made.  There  are  many  cases  in 
which  the  disclosures  are  too  immoral  for  recital  any 
where,  and  particularly  in  a  work  of  this  character.  I 
trust,  however,  in  these  revelations  that  I  have  given 
an  adequate  idea  of  the  extensive  work  of  a  class  of 
people  who  may  be  said  to  live  by  their  wits,  and  by 
the  prostitution  of  talents  which  would  have  been 
more  valuable  if  correctly  employed.  The  existence 
of  these  people  is  at  all  times  precarious.  Success 
ful  to-day,  but  to-morrow  defeated,  improverished 
and  in  the  clutches  of  the  law,  they  finally  drift  along 
the  swift  current  of  immorality  until  they  reach  a 
miserable  end.  Too  low  and  too  small  for  great 
criminals,  they  have  been  content  with  petty  crimes 
and  base  practices,  and  in  the  end  the  prison  or 
the  river  are  the  last  resorts  of  those  who,  not  hav 
ing  the  courage  to  lead  good  and  honorable  lives, 

o  o  o 

they  slink  out  of  existence  by  the  cowardly  methods 
of  the  drunkard  and  the  suicide. 


THE    BURGLAR. 


BANK    BURGLARS. 

Bank  Burglars. — Locating  their  Mark. — Burglars  and  Dynamite. 
— Brokers  who  open  a  Bank. —  The  Oyster  Dealer. —  The 
Dentist. —  The  Shoemaker.— The  Barber.— Inside  Work. —  The 
Cashier  as  a  Burglar  s  Assistant. — Methods,  Tools  and  Imple 
ments  of  the  Burglar. — A  Would-be  Burglar  Trapped. 

IN  attempting  a  description  of  the  methods  which 
have  from  time  to  time  been  adopted  by  the 
burglar,  I  approach  a  wide  field  for  investigation — a 
field  so  varied  and  comprehensive,  that  to  perform 
my  labor  satisfactorily,  involves  a  task  not  easy  of 
accomplishment.  It  may  be  said  that  ever  since 
man  attempted  to  put  safeguards  around  his  posses 
sions  ;  from  the  time  that  the  thrifty  and  the  cautious 
took  the  first  measures  to  secure  their  valuables  from 
unlawful  appropriation,  the  burglar  has  existed.  At 
first  it  must  be  admitted  the  precautions  taken  to  se- 
[256] 


THE    BURGLAR.  257 

cure  safety,  were  both  primative  and  meagre,  and  the 
methods  of  the  thief  did  not  of  necessity,  evince  any 
indications  of  either  merit  or  ingenuity.  They  were 
intended  simply  to  break  down  the  weak  barriers 
which  existed  between  the  wealth  of  their  victims, 
and  their  own  desires  to  appropriate  the  property  of 
another,  and  were  in  the  main,  successful.  Experi 
ence  however,  is  a  stern  and  unyielding  preceptor, 
and  after  each  successful  robbery,  the  honest  mind 
was  taxed  to  produce  a  newer  and  a  better  means  of 
defense  than  the  last  had  been.  Not  mere  ingenuity 
alone  would  now  suffice,  for  the  thief  became  as  in 
genious  as  the  protector,  and  despite  many  curious, 
and  apparently  efficient  efforts  at  security,  the  burg 
lar  invariably  succeeded  in  his  object,  and  safely  de 
spoiled  those  who  had  sought  to  prevent  his  depreda 
tions  by  ingenious  devices. 

Science  and  invention  now  came  into  play, 
strength  and  security  were  believed  to  be  synonymous 
terms,  and  stone  and  iron  and  steel  were  fashioned 
into  various  unique  designs  to  resist  the  operations 
of  the  daring  and  irrepressible  thieves.  Vaults  and 
safes  of  numerous  patterns  and  of  infinite  variety 
were  manufactured,  and  used  for  the  protection  of 
valuable  and  perishable  property,  from  the  devasta 
tions  of  fire,  as  well  as  from  the  operations  of  the  dis 
honestly  inclined.  It  is  a  lamentable  fact,  however, 


258  THE    BURGLAR. 

which  must  be  admitted,  that  the  thief  kept  pace  with 
the  skillful  manufacturer,  and  that  no  sooner  was 
some  novel  invention  brought  into  general  use,  than 
the  cracksmen  had  succeeded  in  discovering  its 
weakest  point,  and  after  a  short  well-directed  effort, 
obtained  an  entrance,  and  robbery  was  once  more 
successful.  Ponderous  and  imposing  safes  that  seem 
ingly  would  defy  the  attempts  of  a  legion  of  burglars 
were  opened  with  the  ease  of  inserting  one's  latch-key 
into  one's  own  front-door,  and  morning  revealed  the 
visit  of  the  burglar,  the  broken  safe,  and  the  expas- 
perating  absence  of  the  valuables  it  had  contained. 

Incited  to  renewed  efforts  by  the  continued  suc 
cess  of  these  desperate  marauders,  and  resolved  to 
perfect  something  that  would  resist  their  assaults,  the 
numerous  manufacturers  applied  themselves  anew  to 
the  task,  and  each  year  witnessed  some  new  invention 
or  improvement,  destined  only  to  yield  in  the  end  to 
the  increased  knowledge  and  superior  implements  of 
the  thief.  It  seemed  that  the  skill  of  the  burglar  was 
equal  to  all  emergencies,  and  in  many  cases,  entrances 
were  effected  through  parts  of  these  strong  boxes, 
which  the  manufacturers  had  entirely  overlooked  in 
their  eager  desire  to  make  doubly  secure  the  natural 
approaches  to  their  contents.  Strong  bolts  were  made 
that  were  set  into  weak  fastenings,  and  heavy  im 
penetrable  doors  were  attached  to  the  safes  by  hinges, 


THE    BURGLAR.  259 

which  were  utterly  inadequate  to  resist  the  force  that 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  them. 

It  is  impossible  to  trace  the  various  and  almost 
numberless  improvements,  which  have  been  made  in 
the  manufacture  of  fire  and  burglar-proof  safes  and 
vaults.  How  from  cast  and  wrought  iron-plates  we 
have  advanced  to  the  chilled-iron,  the  steel,  the  frank- 
linite,  and  the  crossed  bars  within  the  lining,  until  it 
wras  hoped  that  honesty  had  at  last  triumphed.  But 
the  hope  was  a  delusive  one,  and  after  the  expended 
labor  and  skill  of  years,  we  have  heard  the  confession 
made  that  the  best  thing  even  now  that  modern 
manufacturers  can  successfully  claim  is,  that  they  have 
at  last  perfected  a  safe  that  will  resist  the  efforts  of 
the  most  expert  burglar  sufficiently  long  to  prevent 
them  from  effecting  an  entrance  in  a  single  night.  The 
claim  is  not,  therefore,  that  their  safes  and  vaults  are 
absolutely  impregnable,  but  that  their  powers  of  re 
sistance  are  so  great,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
open  them  by  any  means  until  the  coming  of  daylight, 
and  the  increasing  chances  of  detection,  would  compel 
the  thieves  to  abandon  their  task  uncompleted. 

It  is  idle  to  decry,  or  to  affect  a  contempt  for  the 
skill  of  the  expert  burglar,  for  experience  has  demon 
strated  beyond  question  that  he  is  possessed  of  more 
than  ordinary  mechanical  knowledge,  and  that  his 
energy  and  patience  are  phenomenal.  Nor  is  there 


260  THE    BURGLAR. 

any  reason  why  this  should  not  be  so.  The  burglar 
is  trained  to  his  vocation  by  the  hardest  discipline 
known  to  man.  From  his  earliest  and  most  primitive 
efforts,  until  he  has  mastered  all  the  intricate  and  dif 
ficult  points  of  his  questionable  profession  there  are 
ever  present  before  him  two  startling  alternatives. 
The  somber  walls  of  a  prison  and  a  long  term  of  servi 
tude,  in  case  of  failure,  and  in  the  event  of  success,  the 
possession  of  fabulous  amounts  of  money,  with  which 
to  gratify  his  every  wish  and  desire. 

Is  it  not  to  be  expected,  when  by  the  labor  of  a 
few  hours,  a  thief  may  win  for  himself  many  thou 
sands  of  dollars,  that  he  will  bend  every  effort  and 
devote  every  faculty  of  his  being,  to  the  accomplish 
ment  of  his  purpose  ?  Criminal  history  contains 
many  episodes  in  which  the  daring  thieves  have  suc 
cessfully  carried  away  in  a  single  night,  money  and 
valuable  securities  which  have  aggregated  to  several 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  and  when  we  con 
sider  the  latent  desire  for  the  possession  of  money, 
which  is  inherent  in  every  disposition,  and  the 
comparative  ease  and  safety  with  which  trained 
burglars  commit  their  depredations,  it  is  not  a 
matter  of  wonder,  that  long  hours  and  sharpened 
intellects  should  be  devoted  to  the  task  of  seeking 

o 

the  easier,  and  the  more  effectual  means  of  accom- 
splishing  an  object,  the  result  of  which  are  fraught 


THE    BURGLAR.  261 

with  so  much  pleasure  or  pain,  and  which  are 
attended  with  unbounded  enjoyment  or  long  years  of 
suffering  and  unavailing  regret  behind  iron  bars. 

When  we  consider  the  desperate  hazard  of  the 
burglar,  we  can  readily  understand  how  careful,  and 
how  thorough  must  be  the  work  which  he  attempts 
to  clo,  and  how  much  study  and  skill  have  been 
applied  to  the  tasks  which  he  has  set  himself  to 
perform. 

I  have  found  as  many  mechanical  enthusiasts 
among  the  fraternity  of  burglars,  as  will  be  discovered 
amid  the  throng  of  legitimate  workmen,  and  no 
inventor  ever  labored  more  assiduously  to  perfect  a 
laudable  object,  than  have  these  desperate  men 
devoted  themselves  to  the  discovery  of  the  means  to 
controvert  their  efforts  and  to  render  their  inventions 
valueless  and  of  no  avail.  In  many  cases,  I  have 
known  expert  professional  burglars,  who  have 
expended  hundreds  of  dollars  in  the  purchase 
of  one  of  these  perfected  and  patented  safes, 
for  no  other  purpose  than  the  endeavor  to  cir 
cumvent  its  promised  safety  by  a  careful  examina 
tion  of  its  various  parts,  and  of  numberless 
experiments,  while  secure  from  interruption  or 
discovery.  So  exceedingly  proficient  have  many 
of  them  become  in  the  art  of  safe-opening,  that 
I  have  known  of  more  than  one  instance  where 


262  THE    BURGLAR. 

burglars  have  been  taken  from  their  prison  cells  to 
open  safes  and  vaults  whose  owners  have  forgotten 
the  complicated  combinations,  by  which  it  was 
safely  locked  at  a  previous  time.  This,  too,  after 
experienced  workmen  in  the  honest  walks  of  life  had 
expended  their  energies  and  resources  in  the  futile 
effort  to  open  the  safe,  without  demolishing  the 
costly  works  which  had  rendered  security  thus  pos 
sible.  In  every  case  the  burglars  succeeded  in  mas 
tering1  the  combination  after  the  labor  of  an  hour  or 

o 

two,  and  to  the  surprise  of  the  incredulous  specta 
tors,  the  ponderous  doors  were  thrown  open  without 
the  slightest  violence  or  injury  to  the  safes. 

When,  therefore,  dishonest  men  have  attained  to 
such  mechanical  excellence,  it  behooves  every  one  who 
desires  the  safety  of  their  valuable  property  to  be 
doubly  alert,  and  ever  on  their  guard  against  the  in 
vasion  of  their  premises  by  men  who  are  as  daring  and 
unscrupulous,  as  they  are  skillful  and  ingenious.  Of 
course  the  cases  mentioned  above  are  rare,  but  that 
they  occur  is  beyond  doubt,  and  every  succeeding 
year  but  adds  to  the  increasing  knowledge  of  the 
criminal,  and  makes  absolute  protection  a  matter  al 
most  impossible  of  attainment. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  robbery  of  a 
bank  vault  is  in  every  instance  but  the  work  of  a 
single  night,  in  which  the  thieves  locate  their  premi- 


THE    BURGLAR.  263 

ses,  effect  their  entrance,  demolish  the  safe  and  carry 
off  their  booty,  ere  the  sun  comes  peeping  over  the 
hills,  for  such  is  not  and  has  never  been  the  case. 

Indeed,  investigation  has  always  shown  that  weeks, 
and  frequently  months,  have  elapsed  between  the  con 
ception  of  the  plot,  and  the  actual  robbery.  Exami 
nations  after  a  robbery  has  been  committed,  reveal 
startling  facts,  and  in  almost  every  case  traces  will  be 
found,  which  prove  beyond  question  that  the  thieves 
were  as  thoroughly  acquainted  with  every  movement 
of  the  bank  officials,  and  with  every  portion  of  the  de 
spoiled  premises  as  the  occupants  themselves,  and  in 
many  instances  there  are  unmistakable  indications  of 
the  actual  presence  of  the  burglars,  before  the  at 
tempt  was  made  to  begin  the  active  labor  of  breaking 
into  the  vaults. 

As  my  object  is  to  seek  to  avert  future  disaster  by 
timely  warnings,  I  shall  endeavor  to  detail  the  various 
movements  of  the  burglars  from  the  time  the  idea  of 
robbery  is  first  entertained  until  the  crime  is  commit 
ted,  and  the  booty  has  been  carried  off.  An  active  ser 
vice  of  more  than  thirty  years  among  this  class  of  crim 
inals  enables  me  to  speak  from  actual  experience,  and 
I  shall  detail  only  such  facts  as  that  experience  has 
brought  to  my  knowledge.  If  I  shall  be  instrumental 
in  creating  a  more  vigilant  spirit  among  those  who  of 
fer  tempting  inducements  to  the  skillful  burglar,  and 


264  THE    BURGLAR. 

if  my  warnings  shall  result  in  either  decreasing  the 
number  of  such  crimes  committed,  or  in  hastening  the 
discovery  and  apprehension  of  the  criminals  them 
selves,  I  shall  feel  amply  repaid  for  the  labor  I  have 
performed,  and  for  the  time  I  have  devoted  to  this 
service. 

In  personal  appearance  and  manner,  the  expert 
burglar  offers  no  warning  note  to  the  suspicious 
banker  or  merchant,  and  he  may  converse  for  a  long 
time  with  one  of  this  class  without  for  an  instant  sus 
pecting  his  calling,  or  being  aware  that  the  courteous 
and  affable  gentleman  who  is  addressing  him  is  at  that 
very  moment  engaged  in  a  watchful  scrutiny,  or  in 
laying  the  ground  for  a  robbery,  which  may  not  only 
impoverish  the  institution  he  represents,  but  impair 
its  financial  credit  for  all  time.  Instead  of  the  vulgar, 
low-browed  and  sinister  looking  thief,  who  figures  so 
extensively  in  police  courts  and  quarter  sessions  trials, 
we  have  to  deal  with  the  gentlemanly  and  intelligent, 
the  scientific  and  calculating  man  of  the  world.  Many 
of  these  men  have  married  into  eminently  respectable 
families,  and  have  maintained  a  status  in  society  which 
forbade  the  harboring  of  the  faintest  suspicion  against 
their  honor,  or  the  slightest  doubt  of  their  standing 
in  the  communities  in  which  they  resided. 

One  of  the  most  noted  of  this  fraternity  was  be 
lieved  for  years  to  be  connected  with  the  Secret  Ser- 


THE    BURGLAR.  265 

vice  of  the  United  States  Government,  and  this  be 
lief  was  entertained,  not  only  by  his  social  companions, 
but  by  the  young  and  beautiful  lady  to  whom  he  was 
married,  and  by  all  of  her  high-toned  relatives.  It 
was  not  until  the  vigilance  of  the  detectives  under  my 
guidance  had  traced  this  gentlemanly  burglar  to  his 
aristocratic  haunts  and  surroundings,  that  the  revela 
tion  was  made  of  his  true  character,  and  the  humilia 
tion  and  disgrace  which  followed  this  discovery, 
involved  several  of  the  most  eminent  families  in  a 
metropolitan  city.  It  must,  therefore,  be  understood, 
that  expert  and  professional  bank  robbers  are  a  dis 
tinct  and  exclusive  fraternity,  and  under  no  circum 
stances  are  to  be  classed  with  dishonest  practitioners 
in  the  lower  grades  of  crime.  They  stand  unrivalled 
among  their  associates,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  stoop  to 
any  robbery  below  that  of  a  bank. 

Their  ruling  ambition  is  to  perform  their  work  in 
the  most  skillful  and  perplexing  manner  possible,  and 
next  to  securing  a  startling  amount  of  money  and  val 
uables,  their  especial  pride  is  in  leaving  behind  them 
indisputable  evidences  of  their  dexterity  and  skill  in 
the  calling  which  they  have  adopted,  and  which  they 
prosecute  so  profitably. 

In  the  years  that  have  passed,  marked  improve 
ments  have  been  made  in  the  tools  and  implements 
of  these  cracksmen,  They  no  longer  burden  them* 


266  THE    BURGLAR. 

selves  with  the  heavy,  massive,  and  unwieldy  tools 
and  appliances  of  former  times,  or  those  which  even 
now  are  in  use  by  the  English  burglar,  but  substitute 
for  them  small  and  ingenious,  but  powerful  imple 
ments  of  their  own  design,  and  frequently  of  their 
own  manufacture.  Not  the  least  important  among 
these  are  the  simple  lamp  and  blow-pipe  for  destroy 
ing  the  temper  of  the  metals  upon  which  they  oper 
ate,  and  which  science  has  taught  these  gentry  to 
dexterously  use,  to  soften  the  hardened  metals  which 
heretofore  had  occasioned  so  much  trouble,  and 
necessitated  such  a  vast  amount  of  labor.  The  small 
and  highly  tempered  drills,  which  silently  but  surely, 
gnaw  their  way  into  the  very  heart  of  a  safe — and 
that  wonderful  invention,  the  diamond  drill,  which 
has  been  proven  on  several  occasions  to  be  more  than 
a  match  for  the  hardest  metals  of  modern  manufac 
ture.  Then,  too,  there  are  the  air-pump  ;  the  copper 
sledge-hammers  and  mallets  with  their  coatings  of 
leather,  whose  tremendous  blows  are  scarcely  heard ; 
and  the  all-powerful  "  Jack-screw,"  which  is  capable 
of  a  pressure  of  tons.  These  and  many  other  like 
improved  and  finished  tools,  of  which  I  shall  speak 
more  definitely  hereafter,  comprise  the  implements  of 
the  burglar  of  the  present  day,  and  in  practiced  hands 
render  powerful  assistance  in  their  nefarious  opera 
tions. 


THE    BURGLAR.  1267 

That  so  many  gigantic  robberies  should  have  oc 
curred  in  the  past,  and  in  many  instances,  without 
the  slightest  clew  to  the  perpetrators,  evinces,  to  say 
the  least,  a  decided  lack  of  that  caution  which  should 
characterize  all  careful  custodians  of  the  finances 
of  others.  In  some  cases,  it  was  shown  that  the 
work  of  the  burglars  had  been  going  on,  night 
after  night,  for  weeks;  that  during  the  dark  hours, 
while  the  world  was  sleeping,  the  thieves  were 
digging  their  way,  step  by  step,  to  the  hidden  treas 
ures  ;  and  while  apparently  secure  from  intrusion  or 
interruption  in  an  adjoining  building,  they  removed 
heavy  walls  of  masonry,  and  at  last  entered  the 
vaults,  and  escaped  with  their  plunder  before  any 
one,  even  the  watchmen  upon  the  premises,  were 
aware  of  their  presence.  It  may  seem  incredible, 
but  the  instances  are  not  few  where  this  very  state  of 
affairs  existed. 

The  devices  and  expedients  of  the  burglars  are 
almost  inexhaustible,  and  in  the  pages  which  follow  I 
will  attempt  to  describe  some  of  the  most  important 
of  them.  No  particular  mode  of  operation  will  an 
swer  for  all  cases,  and  the  robbers  evince  a  fertility  of 
resource  and  a  ready  adaptiveness  to  circumstances, 
which,  while  they  produce  humiliation  and  loss,  can 
not  fail  to  excite  admiration  from  an  artistic  point  of 
view. 


268  THE    BURGLAR. 

We  will  now  attempt  to  detail,  as  fully  as  is  possi 
ble  under  the  circumstances,  the  plans  of  operation 
of  this  most  dangerous  class  of  criminals — the 

BANK  BURGLARS. 


One  of  the  first  things  which  the  burglars  consider, 
is  the  choice  or  location  of  their  object  of  attack. 
Great  care  is  necessary  in  such  inspection,  as  from 
the  correctness  of  these  investigations,  the  sole  hope 
of  success  depends.  In  this  selection  various  impor 
tant  points  are  fully  and  deliberately  discussed  The 
approaches  to  the  bank  building  are  carefully  exam 
ined,  and  the  peculiar  construction  and  location  of 
the  vaults  are  thoroughly  learned  from  frequent  vis 
its  to  the  interior  of  the  bank  by  men,  who,  while  ap 
parently  engaged  in  transacting  some  trifling  busi 
ness,  or  asking  some  question  of  a  financial  nature, 
are  covertly  taking  notes  of  everything  connected 
with  the  general  arrangement  of  matters  inside.  If 
the  building  is  occupied  by  other  tenants,  this  fact  is 
noted,  and  a  general  knowledge  of  the  habits  and 
vocations  of  these  people  is  soon  obtained.  Adjoin 
ing  buildings  also  receive  their  share  of  thorough 
examination,  and  when  the  advance  guard  of  the  burg- 


THE    BURGLAR.  269 

lars  have  finished  their  observations  they  are  as  fully 
informed  of  everything  connected  with  the  bank,  as 
are  the  officers  themselves.  Especial  attention  is 
paid  to  the  question  of  how  the  bank  is  watched  after 
nightfall ;  whether  the  watchers  remain  within  the 
building,  or  patrol  the  outside ;  and  also  to  discover 
at  what  time  the  watchmen  are  relieved,  or  leave  the 
bank  in  the  morning. 

Approaches  from  the  rear,  at  the  sides,  or  through 
the  roof,  are  also  carefully  noted,  and  when  all  these 
facts  have  been  acquired,  the  burglars  are  prepared 
to  decide  the  important  question  as  to  whether  the 
attempt  is  practicable  or  had  best  be  abandoned. 
Many  times,  after  devoting  weeks  to  these  prelimi 
nary  examinations,  the  thieves  have  come  to  the  con 
clusion  that  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  success  are 
too  great  to  be  overcome,  within  a  limited  time  and 
without  detection,  and  have  consequently  decided  to 
seek  some  easier  and  more  accessible  object  of  attack. 
A  large  number  of  our  bankers  are  in  entire  ignor 
ance  of  the  fact,  that  their  institutions  have  been 
carefully  examined,  and  that  plans  to  rob  them  had 
at  one  time,  been  seriously  entertained. 

Of  late  years  the  banks  in  the  larger  cities,  have 
been  studiously  ignored,  even  by  the  most  expert 
professionals,  because  of  the  extreme  difficulty  of 
effecting  an  entrance,  and  the  increased  chances  of 


270  THE    BURGLAR. 

detection.  But  even  in  such  cases,  evidences  have 
been  obtained  which  sustain  the  belief  that  this 
avoidance  was  only  determined  upon  after  the  prem 
ises  had  been  thoroughly  and  systematically  ex 
amined.  Banks  in  the  less  populous  cities,  and  in 
the  larger  towns  therefore  receive  the  attention  of 
these  experienced  cracksmen,  and  every  care  and 
precaution  are  necessary  to  guard  against  their 
approaches. 

One  of  the  methods  resorted  to  by  some  of  the 
more  expert  of  this  class  of  burglars,  and  where 
heavy  robberies  are  contemplated,  is  to  ascertain,  by 
watching  the  residence  of  the  cashier,  and  then  to 
gain  an  entrance  to  his  sleeping  apartment  by  the 
measures  restorted  to  by  house-breakers  or  hotel 
thieves.  By  this  means  wax  impressions  of  the  keys 
to  the  bank  building,  the  vault  and  the  safe,  have 
been  obtained  while  the  cashier  slumbered  on  peace 
fully,  and  entirely  unconscious  of  the  presence  of  the 
burglar  at  his  bedside.  From  these  wax  impressions 
exact  duplicates  are  made,  and  the  burglar  is  then 
ready  for  successful  operation  whenever  the  proper 
opportunity  arrives  to  secure  the  greatest  amount  of 
plunder. 

Where  this  plan  has  been  found  impracticable, 
the  cashier's  house  has  been  invaded  by  a  number  of 
burglars  in  the  still  hour  of  the  night,  and  the  entire 


THE     BURGLAR.  271 

housenold  have  been  bound  and  gagged  almost 
before  they  were  conscious  of  what  was  transpiring 
around  them.  The  cashier  was  then  compelled, 
upon  threats  to  murder  him  in  case  of  refusal,  to 
deliver  up  the  keys  to  the  bank,  and  in  some  cases, 
to  reveal  the  combination  by  which  the  vaults  were 
opened.  Leaving  one  or  two  of  their  number  to 
guard  the  prisoners  the  rest  of  the  gang  would  hasten 
to  the  bank,  and  in  a  short  time,  the  robbery  would 
be  successfully  accomplished,  and  the  burglars  would 
effect  their  escape,  before  an  alarm  could  be  sounded. 

In  committing  these  robberies,  the  burglars  exhibit 
as  much  reckless  daring  as  mechanical  ingenuity;  and 
their  exploits,  in  many  instances,  rival  the  imagina 
tions  of  the  romancer  and  the  novelist. 

In  making  their  preliminary  examinations  of  the 
banks  throughout  the  country,  the  burglars  have  a 
very  simple,  but  effective  way  of  ascertaining  whether 
there  is  a  night  watchman  inside  of  the  bank,  with 
out  subjecting  themselves  to  the  danger  and  risk  of 
being  noticed  in  watching  the  premises  for  this  pur 
pose.  The  device  consists  of  putting  a  small  wedge 
between  the  door  and  the  casing  of  the  outer  door, 
in  the  evening  after  the  bank  is  closed,  and  by  observ 
ing  whether  this  wedge  remains  in  its  place  until  the 
bank  is  opened  for  business  in  the  morning.  This 
proof  is  deemed  conclusive,  as  on  any  one  opening 


272  THE    BURGLAR. 

the  door,  the  wedge  would  fall  to  the  ground,  and 
thus  show  that  some  one  had  entered  or  left  the 
building  after  it  had  been  closed  the  night  before. 


OUTSIDE  WORKERS. 

HAVING  properly  located  their  "  mark,"  or  the  bank 
which  from  examination  promises  the  most  satisfac 
tory  results,  with  the  least  comparative  danger  of 
detection,  these  prospectors  of  crime  notify  their 
companions,  who  then  meet  to  discuss  the  means  of 
carrying  out  their  designs  of  robbery.  These  being 
fully  decided  upon,  the  active  work  is  begun,  and  in 
order  to  set  forth  their  manner  of  working  I  have 
selected  several  well  known  cases  in  which  the  modes 
of  these  daring  burglars  are  fully  shown. 


UTILIZING  A  SAFE  MANUFACTURER. 

A  PROMINENT  bank  in  Elmira,  N.Y.,  was  selected, 
upon  one  occasion,  by  a  band  of  the  most  reckless 
and  expert  burglars,  with  which  this  country  has  ever 
been  infested,  and  they  resolved  to  enter  the  vault 
and  carry  off  whatever  property  it  contained. 

The  bank  was  located  in  the  Opera  House  build- 


THE    BURGLAR.  273 

ing  and   the  apartments  directly  over  the   banking- 
room  were  occupied  as  the  assembly  rooms  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  the  City,  and 
one  of  these  rooms  was  found  to  be  located  directly 
over  the  vault  of  the  bank.     Here  then  was  the  point 
of  attack — but  a  careful  examination  of  the  premises 
disclosed  the  existence  of  an  obstacle  which  had  not 
been  taken  into  consideration.     This  room  was  entered 
through  an  iron  door,  which  was  secured  by  a  lock  of 
peculiar  construction  and  with  the  workings  of  which 
the  burglars  were  entirely  unacquainted.     It  would 
have  been  a  comparatively  easy  task  to  destroy  the 
lock  and  effect  their  entrance  by  force,  but  as  their 
labor  would  occupy  several  nights,  and  they  would  be 
required  to  open  this  lock  upon  each  visit,  the  break 
ing  of  the  lock  was  not  to  be  considered  for  a  moment. 
Nothing  daunted,  however,  the  burglars  discovered 
the  residence  of  the  secretary  of  the  association,  and 
one  evening  they  broke  into   his  house,  and  without 
disturbing  the  sleeping  occupants,  searched  his  pock 
ets,  and  other  receptacles  in  the  hope  of  finding  the 
keys,  and  thus  obtain    a   wax    impression    of   them. 
This,  however,  failed  signally,  as  the  secretary,  from 
habitual  caution,  had  hidden  his  keys  under  the  carpet 
in  his  room,  and  the  burglars  were  unable  to  discover 
them.     They  accordingly  quietly  made  their  exit  from 
the  premises,  and  on  the  following  morning  the  secre- 


*?4  THE    BURGLAR. 

tary  was  greatly  surprised  to  notice  unmistakable  evi 
dences  of  a  burglarious  entry  into  his  room,  and  con 
siderably  more  so  to  find  that  nothing  had  been  car 
ried  away. 

The  burglars  now  hit  upon  the  expedient  of  form 
ing  the  acquaintance  of  some  one  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  vaults  and  safes,  who  would  be  fully 
posted  on  the  subject  of  patent  locks,  and  whom 
they  could  make  use  of  for  their  purposes.  By  care 
ful  inquiries,  they  succeeded  at  length,  in  finding  a 
man  who  was  engaged  in  the  business,  and  by 
devious  and  tempting  ways  they  began  their 
approaches.  In  the  end  their  promises  of  reward 
proved  too  glittering  for  his  virtue,  and  he  finally 
consented  to  aid  them.  This  much  accomplished, 
the  rest  proved  an  easy  matter.  A  note  from  the 
city  in  which  the  burglars  were  located  was  written 
to  the  firm  with  whom  the  man  was  engaged,  making 
inquiries  about  their  safes,  and  this  man  was  sent  to 
Elmira,  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  firm  in  that 
city.  Upon  his  arrival,  he  was  met  by  several  of  the 
burglars,  and  their  plans  were  soon  completed.  It 
was  arranged  that  a  small  wad  of  paper  should  be 
inserted  into  the  lock  of  the  iron  door  during  the 
night,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  open  it  in  the 
morning.  This  plan  resulted,  as  it  was  expected  it 
would.  The  safe-man  had  caused  his  presence  in 


THE    BURGLAR.  275 

the  town  to  be  generally  known,  and,  on  the  follow 
ing  day,  as  soon  as  it  was  discovered  that  the  lock 
would  not  work,  he  was  sought  out  and  requested  to 
examine  it,  and,  if  possible,  to  repair  it.  This  was 
just  what  was  desired,  and  while  making  a  pretense 
of  repairing  the  lock  he  obtained  impressions  of  the 
key.  These,  in  due  time,  he  furnished  to  the 
burglars  and  the  difficulty  of  approaching  the  vault 
of  the  bank  was  thus  cleared  away. 

The  active  labor  upon  the  vault  was  then  begun. 
The  burglars  located  themselves  in  the  suburbs  of 
the  city,  and  every  night  the  gang  repaired  to  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  rooms,  and  taking  up  the  flooring  con 
tinued  their  work.  Night  after  night  they  labored, 
carefully  replacing  the  floor  after  each  visit  ;  ton 
after  ton  of  stones  were  removed  and  carried  up  to 
the  roof  of  the  opera  house  in  baskets.  There  were 
three  or  four  feet  of  solid  masonry  to  be  dug  through, 
some  of  the  stones  weighing  fully  a  ton.  Then  a 
layer  of  railroad  iron  was  to  be  overcome,  and  after 
that  a  plate  of  steel,  an  inch  and  a-half  in  thickness. 

After  weeks  of  patient  and  untiring  labor,  the 
burglars  succeeded  in  working  their  way  without 
detection,  through  all  these  obstructions  but  the  last 
plate  of  steel,  and  were  contemplating  with  satisfac 
tion  the  successful  end  of  their  labors.  Just  at  this 
time,  however,  the  president  of  the  bank  had  occa- 


276  THE    BURGLAR. 

sion  to  go  into  the  vault  in  the  evening,  and  he 
noticed  with  surprise,  a  thin  layer  of  white  clust  upon 
the  floor.  At  once  suspecting  that  something  was 
wrong,  he  notified  an  officer,  and  an  investigation 
was  instituted.  The  alarm  was  sounded  to  the 
thieves,  and  all  succeeded  in  making  their  escape 
except  one  of  their  number,  who  was  arrested  at  the 
door,  just  as  he  was  coming  out.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  fortunate  frustrations  of  a  robbery  known, 
for  had  they  succeeded  in  their  laborious  enterprise, 
they  would  have  secured  over  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  greenbacks,  and  six  millions  of  dollars  in 
bonds.  As  it  was,  weeks  of  labor  and  toil  were 
wasted,  and  the  robbery  from  which  such  rich  results 
were  anticipated  was  a  failure,  while  the  defeated  and 
disheartened  burglars  left  all  their  valuable  tools 
behind  them  when  they  fled.  As  an  illustration  of 
the  patient  and  untiring  energy  of  these  burglars, 
this  incident  is  fully  convincing. 

Undismayed,  and  with  a  courage  worthy  of  a  bet 
ter  cause,  this  same  band  of  burglars  were  soon  at 
work  upon  a  bank  in  a  different  part  of  the  country. 
This  time  they  selected  Quincy,  Illinois,  as  their 
point  of  attack,  and  the  same  mode  of  operation  was 
resorted  to.  Obtaining  access  to  a  room  in  the  bank 
building,  and  directly  over  the  vault,  they  commenced 
their  work.  Every  night  they  took  up  the  flooring, 


BURGLAR.  277 

and  continued  their  attacks  upon  the  top  of  the 
vault.  After  patiently  working  for  several  weeks 
they  at  last,  reached  the  safes,  and  two  of  their 
number  descended  into  the  vault.  Here  an  air-pump 
was  applied,  and  powder  was  forced  through  the 
crevices  of  the  doors  of  the  smaller  safes,  which  were 
exploded  without  danger  or  discovery,  and  the  thieves 
carried  away  with  them  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  dollars  in  money,  and  over  seven  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  valuable  securities. 


A  SINGULAR    PERFORMANCE   IN  AN    OPERA    HOUSE. 

A  ROBBERY  was  at  one  time  attempted  upon  a  lead 
ing  bank  in  Covington,  Ky.,  and  which  but  for  the 
excessive  caution  of  the  burglars,  would  have  re 
sulted  in  serious  loss  to  the  bank  and  the  community. 
This  bank,  as  in  the  case  of  the  one  at  Elmira,  was 
located  in  the  Opera  House  Building,  and  by  an  ex 
amination,  it  was  found  that  the  vault  was  directly 
under  the  auditorium.  The  burglars  fitted  a  key 
to  the  door  of  the  building,  so  that  they  would  gain 
uninterrupted  access  to  it,  and  every  night  the  orches 
tra  seats  were  removed,  the  flooring  taken  up,  and  work 
was  continued  upon  the  masonry  which  constituted 


278  THE    BURGLAR. 

the  top  covering  of  the  vault.  This  was  safely  and 
expeditiously  taken  off,  and  the  descent  was  made  into 
the  vault.  Here  they  charged  the  inner  safes  with 
powder  and  glycerine,  and  the  explosion  which  fol 
lowed  was  a  terrific  one.  So  great  was  the  concus 
sion  that  resulted  from  this,  that  the  entire  ceiling  of 
the  banking  room  was  torn  off,  and  fell  to  the  floor 
with  a  crash,  filling  the  room  with  a  dense  shower  of 
bricks,  dust  and  mortar.  The  watchers,  who  had 
been  stationed  outside,  becoming  alarmed  at  the 
noise,  at  once  gave  the  signal  for  flight,  and  the  men, 
fearful  of  their  safety,  beat  a  precipitate  retreat.  In 
those  vaults  and  almost  within  their  grasp,  were  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  greenbacks,  and  a  million 
and  a  half  dollars  in  good  marketable  securities. 

The  chagrin  and  disappointment  of  the  burglars 
may  be  imagined,  when  they  ascertained  that  their 
alarm  had  been  a  needless  one,  and  that  the  dis 
covery  of  the  attempted  robbery  did  not  occur  until 
the  bank  was  opened  on  the  following  morning. 

It  may  seem  strange  and  almost  incredible  that 
such  things  could  take  place  in  a  city,  guarded  by 
night  patrolmen,  and  where  safeguards  are  in  exist 
ence  for  the  protection  of  persons  and  property,  but 
that  they  have  occurred  is  proven,  and  that  they  may 
occur  again  at  any  time  in  the  future,  is  by  no  means 
impossible.  It,  therefore,  behooves  every  one  con- 


THE    BURGLAR.  279 

nected  with  an  institution  of  this  character,  to  main 
tain  the  strictest  watchfulness,  and  to  neglect  no  pre 
caution  which  tends  to  conserve  safety  and  protection. 


BURGLARS  AND  DYNAMITE. 

PITTSBURGH,  Pennsylvania,  was  the  scene  of  a  dar 
ing  and  successful  robbery  a  few  years  ago.  The 
bank  was  a  one  story-brick  building,  with  a  tin  roof, 
and  failing  to  secure  any  base  of  operation  from  ad 
joining  buildings,  and  there  being  no  apartments 
above,  it  was  resolved  by  the  burglars  to  make  an 
entry  through  the  roof  of  the  bank  building  itself. 
On  the  first  night,  the  robbers  ascended  to  the  roof, 
from  the  rear  of  the  building,  the  tin  covering  was 
carefully  cut  and  taken  up  and  the  boards  of  the  roof 
directly  over  the  vault  were  removed.  After  finishing 
their  labors  for  that  night,  the  boards  were  replaced, 
the  tin  laid  down,  and  the  joints  cemented  with  a 
heavy  application  of  red  putty.  So  carefully  and  com 
pletely  was  this  done,  that  although  a  terrific  storm 
of  rain  and  sleet  occurred  on  the  next  day,  the  roof 
showed  no  indications  of  leaking,  and  no  suspicions 
were  awakened  in  the  minds  of  the  bank  officials. 

The  next  evening,  the  tin  and  boards  were  again 
removed,  and  work  was  resumed  upon  the  vault.  A 


2§o  THE    BURGLAR. 

layer  of  bricks  was  removed,  and  then  the  roof  was 
replaced  as  before.  This  work  was  carried  on  faith 
fully  until  the  night  of  the  burglary,  which  occurred 
about  ten  days  after  operations  had  been  commenced. 
As  usual,  two  men  went  into  the  vault,  while  the 
others  were  stationed  outside  to  watch.  Inside  of  the 
vault  were  three  chilled-iron  safes  and  a  burglar-alarm 
of  most  approved  pattern.  It  was  necessary  to  resort 
to  their  old  method  of  explosion,  and  in  this  narrow 
room,  with  only  a  man-hole  opening  in  the  top,  these 
daring  robbers  inserted  dynamite,  with  the  aid  of  an 
air  pump,  into  the  crevices  of  the  doors.  One  explo 
sion  after  another  followed,  and  at  last  they  succeeded 
in  opening  one  of  the  safes  which  contained  only 
about  five  hundred  dollars  in  currency  and  about  sixty 
thousand  dollars  in  bonds.  No  less  than  twelve  ex 
plosions  took  place  in  this  small  vault,  and  during  all 
this  time,  the  men  remained  to  face  the  danger.  The. 
last  report  was  a  terrific  one,  and  again  the  watchers 
gave  the  alarm.  A  retreat  was  thus  rendered  neces 
sary,  and  the  two  men  staggered  out  of  the  place, 
deathly  pale,  their  clothes  saturated  with  water,  their 
lungs  filled  with  the  noxious  gases,  and  themselves 
scarcely  able  to  speak  or  walk.  The  bonds  which 
they  carried  away,  were  afterwards  ''compromised" 
back  to  the  bank,  but  the  amount  which  the  thieves 
realized,  was  comparatively  insignificant. 


THE    BURGLAR.  281 

BROKERS  WHO    "OPEN  A  BANK." 

IN  the  City  of  Baltimore,  not  many  years  ago,  a 
bank  located  in  the  busiest  portion  of  the  town,  was 
successfully  entered  and  robbed  by  an  adroit  gang  of 
burglars  who  devoted  more  than  a  month  to  the  task 
of  effecting  an  entrance  into  the  vault.  The  lower 
floor  of  the  building  adjoining  the  bank  was  vacant, 
and  for  rent ;  and  one  day,  a  very  gentlemanly  look 
ing  business  man  applied  to  the  agent  of  the  prem 
ises,  and  expressed  his  desire  to  lease  the  unoccupied 
premises.  He  exhibited  letters  from  prominent  mer 
chants  to  insure  his  responsibility,  and  on  being  in 
formed  of  the  rental  exacted,  made  no  objection  to 
the  figure  mentioned.  He  was  questioned  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  business  which  he  designed  to  carry 
on,  and  he  informed  the  agent,  with  a  bland  smile, 
that  his  partners  and  himself  designed  to  transact  a 
brokerage  business,  and  might  eventually  "  open  a 
bank."  The  sarcasm  of  the  latter  intention  was  not 
apparent  until  the  bank  in  the  adjoining  premises  had 
been  successfully  "  opened,"  and  the  burglars  had  es 
caped.  The  offices  were  duly  furnished  and  arranged 
for  business,  and  during  the  business  hours  of  the  day, 
one  or  two  clerks  could  be  seen  behind  the  desks  with 
ponderous  account  books  open  before  them,  and  they 
busily  engaged  in  making  entries  therein.  Numer- 


282  THE    BURGLAR. 

ous  packages  and  boxes  were  received  and  delivered 
at  this  place,  and  every  indication  of  legitimate  busi 
ness  was  apparent  to  the  casual  visitors  and  passers- 
by.  In  the  back  part  of  this  office  there  was  erected 
a  glass  partition  which  cut  off  the  rear  of  the  room, 
and  divided  it  into  two  offices.  In  this  back  part  the 
work  upon  the  vaults  of  the  bank  was  done.  A  large 
hole  was  cut  through  the  wall  of  the  building,  direct 
ly  opposite  where  the  vaults  were  located,  and,  night 
after  night,  these  burglars  labored  assiduously  at 
their  task.  Every  morning  the  bricks  and  mortar, 
which  accumulated  over  night,  was  either  packed  in 
boxes  and  shipped  away,  or  carried  into  the  cellar, 
and  piled  up  in  regular  order;  and  the  hole  in  the 
wall  was  covered  by  a  large  hanging  map  of  the 
United  States,  which  served  the  double  purpose  of 
concealment  and  ornamentation.  At  length  the 
bricks  and  stones  were  all  removed,  and  nothing  but 
the  iron  lining  of  the  vault  stood  between  the  thieves 
and  the  object  of  their  desires.  On  Saturday  night 
work  was  begun  upon  this  iron  lining.  It  is  a  notice 
able  fact  that  the  final  work  of  all  these  bank  robber 
ies  is  generally  performed  between  Saturday  night 
and  Monday  morning,  as  the  thieves  thus  have  more 
than  thirty-six  hours  for  uninterrupted  work.  With 
their  drills  the  burglars  bored  a  succession  of  holes 
in  a  line  about  a  foot  and  a  half  square,  and  before 


THE    BURGLAR.  283 

many  hours  they  had  succeeded  in  making  an  open 
ing  sufficiently  large  to  admit  of  the  entrance  of  a 
man  into  the  vault.  This  much  accomplished,  the 
rest  was  easy,  and  although  there  was  a  watchman  in 
side  of  the  bank,  the  burglars  succeeded  in  opening 
the  inner  safes,  and  numerous  tin  boxes  belonging  to 
special  depositors,  and  making  good  their  escape 
with  over  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars  in  money 
and  valuable  securities  which  could  be  readily  negoti 
ated.  This  robbery  was  not  suspected  until  on  the 
following  Monday  morning,  when  the  cashier  on 
opening  the  vault,  was  surprised  to  find  the  daylight 
shining  through  from  the  hole  in  the  wall,  and  the  en 
tire  contents  in  utter  confusion  and  disorder. 

An  examination  quickly  followed,  and  resulted  in 
the  discovery  of  the  manner  in  which  the  entrance 
had  been  effected,  and  also  in  disclosing  the  fact  that 
the  gentlemanly  neighbors  had  succeeded  in  their  in 
tentions  of  "  opening  a  bank,"  and  had  disappeared 
entirely  from  the  scene  of  action. 


284  THE    BURGLAR. 

THE    OYSTER   DEALER. 

A  DECENT  looking  man,  some  years  since,  called 
upon  the  cashier  of  a  large  bank,  in  a  seaport  town, 
with  a  view  of  renting  the  cellar  and  basement  under 
neath  the  bank,  representing  to  him  that  he  wished 
to  open  an  oyster  store ;  that  he  had  some  means  to 
invest  in  the  business,  and  thought  he  could  make  it 
pay  if  anybody  could.  He  also  stated  that  he  intended 
to  be  particular  about  his  customers — selling  oysters 
by  the  quart  only.  After  some  further  conversation, 
the  cashier  granted  him  the  use  of  the  cellar,  and  the 
place  was  fitted  up  and  opened  in  due  time  as  a  first- 
class  oyster  store — the  best  only  were  kept,  which 
were  brought  there  in  large  quantities  and  quickly 
disposed  of.  Two  men,  strangers  in  the  city,  were 
employed  and  kept  constantly  at  work  opening  the 
bi-valves.  They  were  quiet,  inoffensive,  and  indus 
trious  looking  men,  whose  calloused  hands  betokened 
hard  labor.  Besides  these  an  industrious  lad,  also  a 
stranger,  peddled,  and  delivered  the  oysters  to  cus 
tomers,  and  the  business  went  on  prosperously.  The 
banker  and  cashier,  of  course,  had  no  time  to  pay  any 
special  attention  to  their  tenants,  supposing  every 
thing  to  be  right.  The  rent  was  regularly  paid 
monthly,  and  that  was  all  they  expected.  This  state 
of  affairs  continued  on  for  some  seven  months ;  the 


THE    BURGLAR.  285 

oysters  being  received  and  disposed  of  with  great 
regularity,  until  one  fine  morning  the  banker  woke  up 
to  learn  that  the  bank  had  been  entered — moneys, 
securities,  and  all  were  gone — a  " clean  job."  The 
vault  was  "  burglar  proof  "  the  safe  "the  very  best" 
but  our  honest  oyster-men  had  silently  worked  their 
way  up  into  both,  commencing  below  and  going 
through  the  bottom  of  the  vault.  Indeed,  they  had  it 
all  their  own  way,  and  had  taken  their  time,  as  well 
as  the  contents  of  the  vault,  which  they  reached  with 
out  much  trouble.  The  banker  was,  of  course,  horri 
fied  to  learn  that  the  vault  and  safe  were  not  "burglar 
proof." 


THE    DENTIST. 

NOT  long  since  the  cashier  of  a  bank  in  a  large 
town,  was  called  upon  by  a  very  respectable  looking 
man  representing  himself  as  a  dentist,  in  search  of  an 
office.  Having  noticed  one  over  the  bank,  which  he 
considered  desirable  for  the  purposes  of  his  business, 
he  proposed  to  rent  the  same,  and  the  price  being 
mutually  satisfactory,  the  dentist  took  possession  and 
fitted  up  the  interior  in  a  handsome  manner.  His 
business  did  not  thrive  so  prosperously  as  he  had 
imagined  but  he  consoled  himself  with  the  remark, 
that  "  commencing  business  is  always  up-hill  work, 


286  THE    BURGLAR. 

but  patience  will  compel  success  in  the  end."  He 
proved  himself  to  be  a  first  class  operator,  however, 
and  several  of  the  bank  clerks  submitted  themselves 
to  his  artistic  manipulations  to  their  entire  satisfaction. 
During  these  operations,  the  dentist  won  their  good 
opinions,  and  at  the  same  time  adroitly  elicited  some 
valuable  information  concerning  the  vaults  of  the 
bank.  The  dentist  was  occasionally  visited  by 
friends,  who,  by  a  singular  coincidence,  always  came 
in  the  evening.  These  friends  evinced  a  fondness  for 
card-playing,  and  evidently  played  late,  as  the  ever- 
watchful  policeman  had,  on  several  occasions,  observed 
them  leaving  the  dentist's  quarters  at  very  early  hours 
in  the  morning.  No  attention  was  paid  to  this,  how 
ever,  and  the  dentist  struggled  along  for  a  consider 
able  length  of  time.  At  last  one  May  morning,  about 
six  months  from  the  time  the  dentist  started  in  busi 
ness,  the  bank  was  opened  as  usual  in  the  morning, 
but  the  door  of  the  vault  sternuously  resisted  all 
efforts  to  unlock  it.  An  expert  was  immediately  sent 
for,  who  soon  demonstrated  the  weakness  of  the  vault 
and  safe. 

The  secret  was  out  as  well  as  the  money  and  valu 
ables  which  the  vault  contained.  The  ceiling  of  the 
vault  was  torn  out,  and  the  debris  had  been  carefully 
carried  away,  by  the  dentist's  card-playing  companions. 
The  respectable  and  struggling  tooth  extractor  and  his 


THE    BURGLAR.  287 

confederates  had  done  their  work  successfully.  Cop 
per-headed  mallets,  chisels,  blow-pipes,  and  drills  had 
mastered  the  "invulnerable  steel  burglar-proof  safe," 
a  little  powder  had  finished  the  work,  and  the  immense 
treasures  were  reached  and  successfully  carried  away 
by  the  burglars,  who  had  succeeded  in  pulling,  not  only 
the  teeth — but  the  wool  over  the  eyes  of  the  unsus 
pecting  bank  people. 

THE    SHOEMAKER. 

A  COUNTRY  banker,  having  a  room  to  rent  over  his 
bank,  put  up  a  notice  to  that  effect,  and  before  many 
days  received  a  call  from  a  shoemaker,  who  desired  to 
ply  his  vocation  in  that  particular  locality.  The 
banker  being  satisfied,  the  shoemaker  obtained  pos 
session,  fitted  up  the  room  as  a  work  shop,  engaged 
three  journeymen  and  a  boy,  set  them  to  work  mak 
ing  shoes,  and  from  the  industrious  appearance  of 
the  establishment,  our  worthy  cobbler  seemed  to  have 
plenty  to  do. 

The  bank  below  was  solid  and  substantial,  with  a 
good  reputation  for  soundness  and  security  against 
burglars.  The  safe  was  a  large  one,  in  which  the 
banker  placed  all  his  valuables,  as  well  as  all  his  con 
fidence.  The  bank  was  guarded  at  night  by  one  of 
the  clerks,  a  relative  of  the  banker,  who  slept  therein. 


288  THE    BURGLAR. 

Subsequent  to  the  advent  of  the  new  tenant,  this 
young  clerk  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  dashing, 
jolly  young  fellow — a  new-comer  in  town,  with  plenty 
of  money,  who  dressed  in  style,  and  in  fact  just  the 
kind  of  a  man  "for  a  fellar  to  have  a  good  time 
with."  He  made  a  great  deal  of  the  young  clerk, 
took  him  out  riding,  treated  him  right  royally,  and 
soon  won  the  young  man's  good  will  and  confidence. 
One  Saturday  evening,  several  months  after  the 
shoemaker's  first  appearance,  the  young  clerk  was  in 
vited  out  riding  by  his  now  bosom  friend  and  com 
panion.  They  drove  out  into  the  country  a  short  dis 
tance,  to  spend  the  evening  with  a  number  of  youn^ 
ladies,  of  whom  the  clerk  was  very  fond.  Here  they 
remained,  and  the  time  passed  away  so  swiftly  and 
agreeably  that  it  was  two  o'clock  Sunday  morning 
before  they  thought  of  going  back.  After  their  re 
turn,  their  horse  was  put  up,  and  a  "  night-cap  "  in 
dulged  in,  when  the  clerk  invited  his  friend  to  sleep 
with  him  in  the  bank.  As  it  was  so  late,  or  rather  so 
early,  of  course  the  invitation  was  accepted,  and  both 
being  tired  out,  slept  apparently  very  sound,  because 
the  clerk  subsequently  remarked  that  "he  heard  no 
noise  during  the  night."  It  was  late  in  the  morning 
when  they  got  up;  went  out,  took  an  "eye-opener" 
breakfasted  together,  and  then  separated  for  the  day. 
As  it  was  Sunday  the  bank  was  not  opened  for  busi-. 


THE    BURGLAR.  289 

ness,  and  the  clerk  did  not  remain  there  during  the 
day,  and  only  returned  late  at  night  to  retire,  seeing 
then,  nothing  in  appearance  wrong  with  the  safe. 

On  the  following  morning,  however,  the  banker 
found  a  difficulty  in  opening  the  safe,  and  he  sent  for 
the  village  blacksmith  and  a  locksmith,  who,  after 
working  until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  succeeded 
in  effecting  an  entrance,  when  lo  !  and  behold,  the 
entire  back  of  the  safe  was  found  ripped  open  and 
torn  out.  The  stairway  leading  to  the  cobbler's  room 
ran  along  and  behind  the  safe,  and  a  hole  cut  from 
the  stairway  (carefully  concealed  during  the  day), 
gave  the  thieves  a  fine  opportunity  for  working  the 
safe  itself  effectually,  at  the  same  time  completely  hid 
ing  their  tools  and  implements,  and  ultimately  gave 
them  admittance  to  the  cash.  Strange  to  relate,  no 
one  ever  thought  of  going  up  stairs  and  looking  for 
the  shoemaker,  until  lono  after  the  robbery  was  dis 
covered,  and  then  all  traces  of  him  had  been  obliter 
ated.  The  young  clerk  is  still  puzzled  to  know  why 
his  genial,  good-hearted  friend  should  have  disap 
peared  at  the  same  time  as  the  cobbler  and  his  com 
pany  did. 
13 


290  THE    BURGLAR. 


THE  BARBER. 

A  NEW  Bank  in  a  Southern  city,  situated  under  a 
!new  hotel,  owned  by  the  Banker,  had  adjoining  it,  a 
small  building,  which  had  been  unoccupied  for  several 
months.  The  Bank  vault,  which  was  adjacent  to  this 
building,  was  new,  well  built,  and  contained  a  large 
safe  of  the  most  approved  construction,  and  warranted 
"  burglar  proof."  The  cashier  was  one  day  approached 
by  quite  a  respectable  looking  person,  who  expressed 
a  desire  to  rent  the  vacant  building  with  a  view  to 
opening  it  as  a  first-class  barber  shop.  He  was  in 
formed  that  a  barber  shop  had  already  been  opened 
in  the  hotel,  and  the  chance  of  success  for  another  one 
so  near,  was  small.  The  enterprising  stranger,  how 
ever,  said  he  feared  no  opposition,  that  he  had  before 
this  done  a  successful  business  under  less  favorable 
circumstances ;  that  he  intended  keeping  expenses 
down  ;  would  sleep  in  the  shop,  would  employ  only 
two  or  three  assistants  to  commence  with,  and  with  a 
well  fitted-up  place,  good  barbers,  and  sufficient  time 
to  establish  himself,  he  did  not  fear  the  result.  Every 
thing  seeming  satisfactory,  the  building  was  placed  at 
the  disposition  of  our  soidisani  barber,  who  lost  no 
time  in  fitting  it  up  regardless  of  cost.  The  opening 
was  a  grand  success  ;  plate  mirrors  reflected  on  all 


THE    BURGLAR.  291 

sides ;  luxurious  chairs  invited  customers,  and  atten 
tive  barbers  soon  attracted  a  lively  patronage.  The 
rent  was  always  promptly  paid,  and  the  Banker  con 
gratulated  himself  upon  having  secured  a  good  and 
harmless  tenant.  Bye  and  bye  the  boss  barber  in 
duced  two  of  his  brothers  to  visit  him.  They  were 
dashing,  well  dressed  young  fellows,  not  remarkable 
for  any  family  likeness,  and  evidently  not  barbers,  but 
moved  about  town  a  great  deal,  transacting  a  little 
business  at  the  Exchange  now  and  then,  and  appar 
ently  undecided  as  to  what  business  they  would  fol 
low.  They  seemed  well  behaved  young  men,  too — 
always  at  home  early  in  the  evening,  and  never  known 
to  be  out  late  at  night.  Not  a  very  long  time  after 
this,  an  old  and  very  intimate  friend  of  the  barber's 
also  came  to  town,  and  took  board  at  a  hotel  nearly 
opposite  the  Bank.  He  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the 
barber's,  and  being  such  a  warm  personal  friend,  was 
always  invited  into  the  back  room,  where  he  passed 
the  greater  part  of  his  time. 

All  this  time  the  Bank  was  supposed  to  be  well 
guarded  at  night  by  two  men,  whose  business  it  was 
to  keep  one  another  awake  and  frighten  away  burg 
lars.  The  weather  being  very  warm,  these  two  men 
would  occasionally  sit  at  the  open  door  of  the  Bank, 
seeing  no  danger  in  that,  as  there  was  no  other  en 
trance.  In  a  short  time  the  barber's  friend  from 


292  THE    BURGLAR. 

across  the  way  made  the  acquaintance  of  these  men, 
and  would  occasionally  go  over  and  sit  with  them  of 
an  evening,  chatting,  joking,  and  making  himself  gen 
erally  agreeable.  These  visits,  in  time,  became  more 
frequent,  until  finally  the  watchmen  looked  for  him 
regularly.  He  would  entertain  them  with  racy  anec-* 
dotes,  comic  songs,  amusing  stories,  etc.,  always  given 
in  a  very  loud  voice,  and  he  was  "  such  good  company  " 
that  they  invariably  regretted  his  departure.  Thus 
matters  progressed  for  months,  until,  one  Monday 
morning  the  barber's  shop  failed  to  open  at  the  usual 
time.  The  watchmen  at  the  Bank  wondered  at  this, 
and  took  another  turn  around  the  Bank  before  the  arri 
val  of  the  clerks,  but  saw  nothing  else  unusual.  The 
cashier  arrived  at  the  customary  hour,  and  proceeded 
to  unlock  the  vault,  when,  of  course,  the  same  diffi 
culty  arose  that  has  been  mentioned  before,  and  the 
same  steps  were  taken  to  force  it  open.  In  short, 
"  the  Bank  was  robbed."  An  examination  disclosed 
the  fact  that  the  front  of  the  vault  was  intact,  but  the 
part  of  it  adjoining  the  barber's  shop  had  been 
pierced,  and  the  back  part  of  the  massive  safe  torn 
out.  The  work  had  been  done  so  silently  that  the  two 
watchmen  had  failed  to  hear  anything,  and  the  work 
had  been  completed  by  Saturday  night  so  far  that 
nothing  but  the  lining  of  the  safe  (left  by  the  thieves 
to  throw  off  suspicion)  remained  to  be  removed. 


THE    BURGLAR. 


293 


This,  of  course,  was  only  the  work  of  a  few  minutes, 
and  thus  was  perpetrated  one  of  the  heaviest  bank 
robberies  that  ever  occurred  in  the  South.  The 
thieves,  with  their  large  booty,  had  taken  an  early 
train  on  Saturday  night,  and  by  the  time  the  robbery 
was  discovered,  on  Monday  morning,  they  were  near 
New  York,  and  beyond  capture. 


INSIDE  WORK. 

THE  various  robberies  which  I  have  described 
were  actual  occurrences,  in  which  the  thieves  oper 
ated  in  accordance  with  the  movements  I  have  de 
tailed,  and  despite  every  imagined  precaution,  the 
banks  awoke  to  the  sudden  and  disheartening  revela 
tion  that  irretrievable  loss  and  ruin  were  the  results 
of  the  burglars'  visits. 

The  above  cases  are  but  a  few  of  the  many  that 
have  occurred,  and  I  have  given  these  but.  to  show 
the  general  manner  of  working  from  the  outside  of 

o  o 

the  bank. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  detail  their  movements  and 
operations,  when  approaches  from  the  outside  and 
from  adjoining  buildings  are  impossible,  where  their 
labors  must  necessarily  be  performed  within  the  bank 


294  THE    BURGLAR. 

building  proper,  and  also  their  operations  upon  the 
safes  within  the  vaults.  It  is  in  these  operations  that 
the  burglars  display  that  mechanical  skill  and  ingen 
uity  which  have  rendered  them  so  dangerous  to  the 
banking  communities  and  to  safe  manufacturers 
generally,  throughout  the  country. 

From  my  own  experience  with  some  of  the  most 
noted  of  this  profession,  I  am  able  to  give  such  partic 
ulars  of  their  modes  of  working,  as  will  fully  disclose 
many  of  their  transactions  which  heretofore  have 
seemed  to  be  almost  inexplicable.  I  will  also  en 
deavor  to  explain  their  various  tools  and  implements 
and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  used. 

In  gaining  an  entrance  into  a  bank  from  the  front 
numerous  devices  are  resorted  to,  according  to  the 
necessities  of  the  case,  though  in  the  majority  of 
instances,  the  burglars  prefer  to  work  upon  the  vaults 
from  the  outside.  Where,  however,  the  bank  is  un 
protected  to  a  great  extent,  or  the  outside  watchman 
can  be  overpowered,  the  entrance  is  made  into  the 
bank  building  from  the  entrance,  and  the  attack  is 
made  upon  the  front  part  of  the  vaults  and  safes. 
Two  instances  which  have  occurred  during  my  ex 
perience  will  serve  to  show  their  manner  of  over 
coming  any  human  obstacles  to  their  success. 


THE    BURGLAR.  295 


BURGLARS  IN  THE  ROLE   OF   POLICEMEN. 

IN  one  of  the  eastern  cities,  there  was  located  a 
bank  which  excited  the  cupidity  of  the  burglars,  and 
they  resolved  to  attempt  the  robbery  by  as  bold  a 
manner  as  has  ever  been  chronicled.  One  of  their 
number,  fully  disguised  as  a  policeman,  called  at  the 
bank  one  afternoon,  just  before  the  bank  was  closed 
for  the  evening,  and  requested  to  see  the  cashier. 
On  being  presented  to  that  officer,  he  informed  him 
that  the  lieutenant  of  police  of  that  district,  had  re 
ceived  positive  information  that  an  attempt  would  be 
made  to  rob  the  bank  on  that  or  the  following  even 
ing,  and  that  in  order  to  frustrate  this  attempt,  and 
capture  the  thieves,  he  desired  the  privilege  of  send 
ing  down  four  of  his  men,  who  would  be  placed  inside 
of  the  bank  building,  to  assist  the  regular  bank  watch 
men.  The  cashier  was  greatly  alarmed  at  the  intel 
ligence,  and  at  once  consulted  with  the  president 
upon  the  important  matter,  and  between  them,  they 
resolved  to  adopt  the  suggestion  of  the  officer  of 
police.  It  was  then  quickly  arranged  that  the  four 
men  should  enter  the  building  singly,  in  order  that 
no  suspicion  might  be  awakened,  and  that  all  of 
the  men  should  be  safely  lodged  within  the  bank 
before  six  o'clock.  Particular  stress  was  laid  upon 


296  THE    BURGLAR. 

the  necessity  of  keeping  the  matter  entirely  secret 
from  every  one  connected  with  the  bank,  except  the 
two  officers  who  had  been  consulted,  and  the  watch 
men  who  were  to  receive  the  assistance  so  much 
desired.  The  cashier  desired  to  remain  within  the 
building  during  the  night  in  order  that  he  might  wit 
ness  the  capture  of  the  burglars,  and  the  policeman 
said  he  would  submit  this  request  to  the  lieutenant 
and  return  with  his  answer ;  after  the  lapse  of  an  hour, 
he  again  made  his  appearance,  and  stated  that  upon 
reporting  the  wishes  of  the  cashier  to  the  lieutenant, 
that  officer  had  considered  the  matter  fully,  but  was 
strongly  opposed  to  such  a  proceeding,  and  advised 
the  president,  cashier  and  clerks  to  go  to  their  homes 
as  usual,  so  that  if  any  one  was  watching  on  the  out 
side,  this  fact  would  be  duly  noticed  and  the  burglars 
would  take  no  alarm.  He  assured  the  officers, 
that  there  was  no  danger  of  failure,  as  the  police 
were  ahead  of  the  thieves,  and  were  perfectly  ac 
quainted  with  their  movements  and  intentions,  and 
that  as  the  bank  was  one  of  the  heaviest  in  the 
country  every  precaution  ought  to  be  taken  not  only 
to  save  the  bank  from  loss,  but  to  secure  these 
dangerous  and  desperate  men,  and  bring  them  swift 
ly  to  justice.  Recognizing  the  force  of  these  argu 
ments,  the  officers  of  the  bank  expressed  their  willing 
ness  to  abide  by  the  wise  suggestions  of  the  policeman, 


THE    BURGLAR.  297 

and  requested  that  the  four  men  be  sent  and  disposed 
of  as  the  lieutenant  should  deem  best. 

When  the  two  watchmen  made  their  appearance 
that  evening,  they  were  directed  by  the  president,  to 
admit  the  four  policemen  who  would  arrive,  one  at  a 
time  and  to  abide  by  their  instructions.  At  the  ap 
pointed  time  a  policeman  strolled  carelessly  along 
and  found  one  of  the  watchmen  at  the  door,  and  he  was 
cordially  received  and  admitted.  This  same  proceed 
ing  was  repeated  until  the  four  knights  of  the  locust 
were  safely  admitted  to  the  bank,  and  all  were  quite 
elated  at  having  escaped  the  notice  of  any  one  upon 
the  outside.  These  guardians  of  the  law  were  a 
formidable  looking  body  of  men  and  were  well-armed, 
each  being  equipped  with  a  brace  of  massive  revolvers. 
They  acted  with  extreme  caution,  talked  knowingly 
and  evidently  fully  understanding  their  business. 

The  time  was  passed  in  pleasant  conversation  un 
til  about  eight  o'clock  when  one  of  the  men  remarked 
that  he  was  thirsty,  and  would  like  to  have  a  drop  of 
beer,  at  the  same  time  proposing  to  go  and  procure 
enough  for  the  party,  and  inviting  one  of  the  watch 
men  to  accompany  him.  The  watchman  cheerfully 
assented  to  this,  and  the  door  was  carefully  closed 
after  them,  one  of  the  remaining  officers  stationing 
himself  at  the  door  to  await  their  return  and  admit 
them.  The  other  two  policemen  and  the  watchman 
13* 


298  THE    BURGLAR. 

then  walked  back  towards  the  president's  room,  when 
suddenly  the  tallest  and  most  powerful  of  the  police 
men  seized  the  unsuspecting  watchman  from  behind, 
while  the  other  forced  a  gag  into  his  mouth,  and  in  a 
moment,  he  was  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  thrown 
upon  the  floor,  while  a  blow  from  an  iron  jimmy  soon 
reduced  him  to  a  state  of  insensibility.  Removing 
him  to  an  obscure  corner  the  pseudo-officers  returned 
to  the  front-door  to  await  the  return  of  the  other. 
As  they  entered,  and  the  watchman  was  walking  to 
ward  the  rear  part  of  the  building  he  was  dealt  a  stun- 
ing  blow  upon  the  head,  and  fell  like  a  log  at  the  feet 
of  the  men  who  thus  were  perfect  masters  of  the  situa 
tion 

The  burglars,  for  such  they  were,  had  now  no 
opposition  to  fear  from  any  one,  and  after  admitting 
two  of  their  confederates,  who  were  anxiously  wait 
ing  in  an  adjoining  alley  way,  with  all  their  necessary 
tools  and  implements,  they  began  to  work  in  earnest. 
The  entire  gang  were  experts  in  the  use  of  the  pecul 
iar  tools  of  their  criminal  profession,  and  before  many 
hours,  with  the  aid  of  blow-pipes,  drills,  copper-mal 
lets  and  jimmies,  the  immense  safes  were  ripped  open, 
their  contents  exposed,  and  moneys,  bonds  and  securi 
ties  were  extracted  to  the  value  of  nearly  three  mill 
ions  of  dollars.  Hastily  packing  their  valuable  booty 
into  the  satchels  which  they  had  prepared  for  the 


THE    BURGLAR.  299 

purpose,  the  burglars  left  the  bank,  and  their  uncon 
scious  victims,  and  ere  daylight  dawned  they  were  far 
upon  their  way  from  the  scene  of  their  burglarious 
operations. 

It  was  not  until  the  arrival  of  the  cashier  that  the- 
injured  and  manacled  watchmen  were  released,  and 
the  robbery  was  discovered.  The  story  was  soon 
told  however,  and  the  bank  officials  with  rueful  faces, 
realized  how  utterly  and  ruinously  they  had  been 
deceived.  The  whole  plan  and  story  was  an  ingen 
ious  fabrication,  and  the  burglars  were,  as  may  be 
inferred,  bogus  policemen,  who  had  procured  their 
uniforms  from  a  convenient  tailor  and  who  played 
their  parts  to  perfection. 


A  CASHIER  AS  A  BURGLAR'S  ASSISTANT. 

AN  Eastern  bank,  located  in  a  pleasant  interior 
town,  was  honored  a  few  years  ago,  by  a  visit  from 
two  celebrated  and  gentlemanly  burglars,  who  drove 
into  the  town  with  a  handsome  carriage  and  two 
dashing  horses.,  They  stopped  at  the  best  hotel  in 
the  place,  and  remained  in  the  locality  several  days, 
during  which  time  they  transacted  some  trifling  busi 
ness  at  the  bank,  changing  some  large  bills  and 


300  THE    BURGLAR. 

indulging  in  pleasant  conversation  with  the  cashier 
and  clerks  who  regarded  them  as  very  agreeable  per 
sons  indeed.  This  was  not  all  that  they  did  how 
ever,  for  during  the  evenings  they  quietly  watched 
the  cashier  when  he  started  from  the  bank,  and  fol 
lowing  him  cautiously  they  ascertained  where  he  lived, 
and  carefully  studied  the  approaches  to  the  house. 
The  next  followed  the  clerks  to  their  respective 
habitations,  and  among  other  things,  they  learned 
that  the  bank  was  unoccupied  at  night.  The  town 
itself  was  not  a  large  one,  although  several  extensive 
manufactories  were  in  operation  there,  and  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  inhabitants  were  orderly  and 
regular  in  their  habits  and  usually  retired  at  an  early 
hour.  It  was  also  learned  that  the  few  saloons  were 
closed  at  eleven  o'clock,  so  that  the  town  at  midnight 
was  as  silent  as  the  churchyard  in  its  vicinity.  In 
addition  to  this,  the  gratifying  information  was 
gained,  that  there  were  no  policemen  in  the  town 
at  all,  and  that  no  opposition  was  to  be  met  with 
from  any  of  the  authorities.  All  these  facts  were 
carefully  and  cautiously  gleaned  by  the  observant 
burglars,  and  after  they  had  satisfied  themselves  upon 
all  these  important  points,  they  took  their  departure, 
and  drove  away. 

Not   long  after  this  visit  however,  on  a  dark  and 
stormy  night,  the  cashier  was  rudely  awakened  from 


THE    BURGLAR.  301 

his  slumbers,  and  as  he  started  up  he  was  amazed  to 
find  himself  surrounded  by  a  number  of  men,  all  of 
whom  were  completely  masked  and  disguised.  The 
leader  of  the  gang  ordered  him  to  dress,  after  which 
they  bound  and  gagged  him,  threatening  all  the 
while  to  murder  him  if  he  made  the  slightest  sound, 
and  enforcing  their  threats  by  presenting  their 
cocked  revolvers  at  his  head.  His  wife,  who  was  in 
an  adjoining  room  with  a  sick  child,  the  servant  girl, 
and  two  other  inmates  of  the  house  were  also  visited 
by  members  of  the  gang  and  quietly  secured. 
Returning  to  the  cashier,  a  demand  was  made  upon 
him  for  the  keys  of  the  bank  and  vaults.  Refusing 
at  first  to  comply,  the  muzzles  of  their  pistols  were 
placed  against  his  head,  and  he  reluctantly  yielded  to 
their  commands,  and  the  keys  were  surrendered. 
The  leader,  who  addressed  his  men  by  number 
instead  of  by  name,  then  directed  two  of  the  band  to 
remain  in  the  house  to  guard  their  prisoners,  while 
the  rest  of  the  gang  hurried  out  to  pay  their  respects 
to  the  bank.  A  short  time  elapsed,  when  one  of 
their  number  returned,  and  ordered  the  cashier  to 
accompany  them — bound  and  gagged  as  he  was,  he 
was  compelled  to  walk  to  the  bank,  and  on  arriving 
there  he  was  required  to  open  the  vaults  and  safes 
with  his  own  trembling  hands,  after  which  he  was 
sent  back  to  the  house  under  guard.  The  entire  con- 


302  THE    BURGLAR. 

tents  of  the  safes  were  soon  transferred  to  the  posses 
sion  of  these  daring  and  desperate  burglars,  and 
every  article  of  value  was  taken.  They,  then,  after 
carefully  locking  the  safes  and  the  doors  of  the  bank, 
returned  to  the  house  of  the  cashier,  and  replaced 
the  keys  in  his  pockets.  Leaving  the  entire  family 
terrified  and  firmly  bound,  and  notifying  them  that  if 
they  attempted  to  go  out  or  raise  an  alarm,  they 
would  be  killed  by  some  of  their  number  on  the  out 
side,  the  party  took  their  departure,  and  made  good 
their  escape  before  pursuit  was  begun  in  the 
morning. 

These  two  cases  illustrate  a  few  of  the  methods 
by  which  the  thieves  gain  an  entrance  into  some  of 
the  banks,  and  thus  succeed  in  their  designs  of  rob 
bery.  In  other  cases  false  keys,  which  have  been 
previously  obtained  form  wax  impressions,  conven 
ient  windows  and  doors  in  the  rear,  form  the  avenues 
of  entrance  to  these  midnight  plunderers. 


THE    BURGLAR.  303 


METHODS,  TOOLS,  AND  IMPLEMENTS  OF  THE 
BURGLAR. 

In  all  cases  of  robbery,  it  is  necessary  to  have 
some  one  of  their  number  conveniently  and  safely 
stationed  on  the  outside,  who  is  to  give  the  alarm  in 
case  of  danger.  The  usual  method  of  arranging 
this  very  necessary  matter  is  for  the  burglars  to 
secure  a  room  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  as 
near  to  the  bank  to  be  operated  upon  as  possible,  and 
this  room  is  generally  on  the  second  or  third  floor, 
and  in  the  front  of  the  building.  When  the  night 
arrives  for  active  work,  the  confederate  is  stationed 
in  this  room,  from  the  window  of  which  he  drops  a 
fine  strong  cord.  This  cord  is  then  taken  by  the 
robbers  and  carried  across  to  the  second  story  window 
of  the  bank,  and  then  continued  through  to  the 
point  where  the  work  upon  the  safe  is  to  be  done. 
After  the  burglars  have  entered  the  building,  either 
by  false  keys  or  any  prearranged  mode,  if  the  string 
is  in  the  second  story,  a  hole  is  bored  through  the 
floor  and  ceiling,  and  thus  let  down  into  the  spot 
where  the  men  are  at  work.  One  of  the  burglars 
then  fastens  the  end  of  this  string  to  his  hand  or  arm, 
and  the  slightest  pull  from  the  other  end  is  the  signal 


3o4  THE    BURGLAR. 

of  danger  and  the  men  then  make  their  escape  as 
best  they  can.  This  is  the  plan  generally  adopted  by 
the  burglars,  and  it  has  worked  successfully  in  almost 
every  instance. 

In  attempting  to  open  a  safe,  there  are  several 
modes  which  may  be  adopted  according  to  the  neces 
sities  of  the  case — wedging,  drilling,  the  use  of  the 
screw,  or  by  blowing  with  powder.  This  latter 
plan,  however,  is  but  seldom  used  of  late  years  by 
professional  burglars,  as  the  noise  of  the  explosion  is 
apt  to  be  heard  outside  and  thus  give  the  party 
away.  The  most  approved  plan  is  to  open  the  safe 
with  the  least  noise,  and  to  do  this  the  door  of  the 
safe  must  be  forced.  This  operation  requires  tools 
that  are  both  strong  and  fine,  and  they  must  be 
manipulated  by  men  who  understand  how  to  use 
them.  One  of  the  most  ingenious  and  forcible  of 

o 

these  contrivances  I  will  attempt  to  describe  at 
length.  This  instrument  consists  of  a  plate  of  steel 
ten  inches  long,  eight  inches  wide,  aud  about  one 
half  an  inch  in  thickness,  in  which  are  fastened  two 
upright  pieces  of  steel  which  are  to  act  as  the  support 
for  the  upright  brace. 


THE    BURGLAR.  305 


This  bed-plate  is  screwed  securely  fo  the  floor  in 
front  of  the  door  of  the  safe,  by  six  large  screws. 
The  box  in  the  center,  as  I  have  stated  before,  is  the 
"  slot "  which  is  to  receive  the  upright  post  or  brace. 
This  brace  is  of  peculiar  construction  and  is  made 
entirely  of  steel.  It  is  3  feet  6  inches  long,  about  4 
inches  wide  and  an  inch  thick,  with  an  extra  piece  of 
steel  of  the  same  thickness,  and  about  4  inches  square 
fastened  to  the  top.  In  the  center  of  this  brace  there 
is  an  opening  about  an  inch  wide  and  nearly  a  foot 
long.  The  following  diagram  will  afford  a  correct 
idea  of  this  brace. 


The  foot  of  this  upright  is  placed  in  the  "slot"  in 
the  box  in  the  base  and  then  tightly  bolted  through, 
the  center  hole  B  fitting  snugly  in  the  box.  In  order, 
however,  to  make  this  more  firm  and  to  brace  it  for 
the  pressure  it  is  required  to  sustain,  another  smaller 
plate  is  screwed  to  the  floor  behind  E  and  a  strong 


306 


THE    B  URGLAR. 


brace  is  fitted  into  this  and  rests  under  the  shoulder 
formed  by  the  additional  piece  of  steel  upon  the  top  C. 
When  set  up  the  brace  with  its  various  component 
parts  presents  the  following  appearance. 


From  these  comparatively  light  materials,  the  burg 
lars  have  now  constructed  a  brace  that  is  capable  of 


resisting  the  pressure  of  tons.     In  the  above  cut  it 
will  be  noticed  that  there  is  another  attachment,  which 


THE    BVRGLAR.  307 

is  a  box-slide,  also  made  of  steel,  the  face  of  which  is 
provided  with  a  number  of  counter-sunk  centers. 
This  box  is  arranged  so  that  it  will  slide  up  or  down 
upon  the  upright  brace  at  will  and  can  be  fastened  to 
its  place  with  a  screw  (E  2).  With  this  brace  duly 
placed  in  its  position  the  burglar  is  now  ready  to  com 
mence  work  upon  the  door  of  the  safe. 

The  next  implement  is  the  feed-screw  drill,  which 
resembles  the  following  figure. 


One  end  of  this  drill  is  placed  against  the  sliding 
box  upon  the  brace,  and  the  other,  which  holds  the 
drill,  is  adjusted  to  the  spot  where  the  hole  is  intended 
to  be  drilled  into  the  door  of  the  safe.  H  shows  the 
feed  screw  of  the  drill,  which  as  the  drill  cuts  into  the 
iron  at  G,  extends  the  length  of  the  brace,  and  thus 
keeps  the  drill  in  its  position.  With  this  drill,  it  is 
claimed,  that  an  inch  hole  can  be  bored  through  the 
best  wrought  iron  safe  door  in  ten  minutes. 

After  this  hole  has  been  successfully  bored,  the 
upright  is  then  unshipped  from  its  first  position,  and 
instead  of  a  brace  it  must  now  perform  the  duty  of  a 


3o8 


THE    BURGLAR. 


lever.     For  this  purpose  a  steel  screw  with  a  peculiar 
notch  in  the  head  of  it,  is  used. 


The  upright  is  then  placed  horizontally  across  the 
front  of  the  safe  ;  the  head  of  the  screw  is  inserted  in 
to  the  hole  bored  into  the  door  and  wedged  tightly 
in,  the  shoulder  being  on  the  inside  of  the  door  plate. 
The  thread  of  the  screw  is  then  passed  through  the 
opening  in  the  center  of  the  upright,  and  is  made  se 
cure  with  a  nut  upon  the  outside.  This  fastens  the 
upright,  or  lever,  as  it  has  now  become,  tightly  to  the 
safe  door.  By  this  operation  the  double  or  shoulder 
end  of  the  upright  is  brought  into  position  near  to 
the  lock  of  the  safe.  In  this  end,  it  will  be  noticed, 
there  is  an  inch  hole  K,  with  a  screw  thread  worked 
into  it;  into  this  hole  therefore  a  strong  steel  screw, 
an  inch  in  diameter,  with  a  strong  square  head  is  in 
serted,  and  this  screw  is  then  turned  by  means  of  a 
stout  steel  wrench. 


The  screw  being  placed  so  as  to  bear  directly  upon 
the. side  of  the  safe  door,  and  the  wrench  being  turned 


THE    BURGLAR.  309 

by  two  strong  men,  it  is  thus  pressed  against  the  door 
with  terrific  and  unrelenting  force,  and  something 
must  inevitably  give  way  inside,  and  this  is  generally 
one  of  the  bolts. 

Sometimes,  however,  the  bolts  hold  too  strongly, 
and  though  they  may  be  loosened,  the  door  will  only  be 
opened  perhaps  not  more  than  half  an  inch.  This  af 
fords  an  opportunity  for  the  introduction  of  another 
powerful  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  burglar, 
namely,  the  "  compound  jimmy."  This  is  an  imple 
ment  made  of  fine  tempered  steel,  and  in  two  sections, 
each  section  about  two  and  one-half  feet  long,  and 
generally  of  one  and  one-half  to  two  inches  thick, 
square,  and  tapering  to  an  edge  at  the  end. 


-    ---L 


With  this  instrument,  supplemented  by  the  com 
bined  strength  of  two  muscular  men,  the  door  is  soon 
forced  open,  and  the  property  of  the  bank   is  at  the 
mercy  of  the  plunderers. 

The  operations  detailed  above  are  such  as  are  used 
on  safes  and  vaults  with  but  a  single  door.      If  in  a 

o 

vault,  this  method  simply  overcomes  the  outer  door, 
and  the  burglar  will  find  that  he  has  not  yet  reached 
the  treasure,  for  that  is  contained  generally  in  an  iron 


3io  THE    BURGLAR. 

chest  inside  of  the  vault.  The  tools  which  previously 
were  so  efficacious  are  now  found  to  be  too  heavy  for 
this  new  task,  but  the  burglars  are  prepared  for  this 
emergency,  and  lose  no  time  in  renewing  their  work. 
-?  A  small  number  of  steel  wedges  are  now  produced, 
and  starting  in  one  corner  they  proceed  to  drive  them 
in,  with  muffled  copper  hammers,  within  a  few  inches 
of  each  other.  Ten  or  twelve  of  these  wedges  are  in 
serted  in  this  manner,  taking  care  to  drive  each  of  the 
upper  ones  as  the  lower  one  widens  the  breach,  and 
loosens  their  power.  When  the  wedges  have  pro 
duced  an  opening  large  enough  to  introduce  the  "  com 
pound  jimmy,"  that  instrument  is  inserted,  and  the 
doors  yield  to  the  pressure  that  is  brought  to  bear 
upon  them.  There  is  no  resisting  this  terrific  force, 
and  the  contents  of  the  safe  are  soon  exposed. 

Thers  is  another  method  which  has  been  put  into 
practice  upon  single-door  safes  with  a  great  deal  of 
success,  and  which  has  frequently  caused  suspicion 
to  rest  upon  some  innocent  young  clerk  in  the  em 
ploy  of  the  bank.  The  operation  is  simple  and  only 
requires  correct  calculation. 

All  safes  are  supposed  to  have  three  bolts,  one  at 
the  top,  one  at  the  bottom,  and  one  at  the  center, 
but  all  are  connected  by  one  bar,  and  as  a  conse 
quence,  if  one  bolt  is  knocked  out,  the  others  share 
the  same  fate,  and  are  rendered  useless.  The  plan 


THE    BURGLAR.  311 

therefore  is  for  the  burglar  to  calculate  the  position 
of  the  center  bolt,  and  the  point  at  which  this  bolt 
would  come  out  upon  the  outside  and  then  to  drill  a 
hole  in  the  manner  above  described  directly  opposite 
this  point.  When  the  hole  has  been  drilled  through 
to  the  edge  of  the  bolt,  they  insert  a  steel  punch,  and 
then  with  a  good  strong  blow  or  two  with  a  heavy  ham 
mer  the  bolts  are  completely  demoralized.  The  safe 
is  then  opened,  the  money  extracted,  the  safe  closed, 
the  hole  in  the  side  plugged  up,  and  no  one  is  able  to 
tell  without  a  thorough  examination  just  how  the 
work  was  done. 

Several  modes  of  blowing  a  safe  with  powder 
have  been  used,  but  the  easiest  and  more  general  one 
is  to  drill  a  hole  into  the  lock,  and  then  force  powder 
through  this  hole  and  explode  it,  which  would  result 
in  the  destruction  of  the  lock  and  the  removal  of 
all  obstacles. 


In  this  process  very  frequently  gun-cotton  and 
and  nitre-glycerine  have  been  used  as  the  explosives, 
and  an  ingenious  sort  of  syringe  is  used  for  this  pur 
pose. 


3i2  THE    BURGLAR. 

Another  method  of  "  blowing"  a  safe  with  pow 
der  is  to  putty  up  all  the  crevices  of  the  safe  com 
pactly  except  two  points.  At  one  of  these  points 
the  air  pump  is  applied,  which  exhausts  the  air  within 
the  safe,  and  at  the  other  point  the  powder  is  drawn 
in  by  the  force  of  the  suction,  caused  by  the  pumping 
out  of  the  air  at  the  other  outlet.  By  this  means  the 
doors  of  safes  have  been  forced  literally  from  their 
hinges  by  the  effects  of  the  explosion. 

It  has  also  been  a  practice  to  draw  the  temper  of 
hardened  irons  with  the  ordinary  blow  pipe,  consist 
ing  of  a  spirit  lamp  and  a  tube,  such  as  jewelers  use. 


This  is  quickly  clone,  after  which  the  safe  may  be 
drilled  with  a  common  steel  drill. 

Astute  burglars  make  a  practice  of  thoroughly  ac 
quainting  themselves  with  all  the  particulars  of  the 
construction  of  safes,  as  well  as  of  their  locks,  and 
many  safes  have  been  opened  by  drilling  out  all  the 
riveting  of  the  inner  lining,  and  of  the  bolts  and 


THE    BURGLAR.  313 

lock  which  fasten  the  same  to  the  outer  shell  of  the 
door,  the  position  of  these  rivets  being  obtained  by 
exact  measurement  from  the  outside. 

Some  safes  are  so  constructed  as  to  give  no  re 
ceptacle  for  powder  or  blasting  material,  excepting 
in  certain  apertures  of  the  lock,  but  so  well  ac 
quainted  with  their  peculiar  internal  arrangements  do 
the  thieves  become,  that  they  are  able  by  measure 
ment  from  the  outside,  to  know  exactly  where  to 
place  their  drills. 

The  most  obstinate  safes  have  been  made  to  yield 
to  the  ordinary  jack-screw,  which  is  applier  n  two 
ways,  either  by  drilling  a  hole  in  the  door,  generally 
about  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  then  with 
a  screw  tap,  cutting  a  thread  for  a  slightly  tapering 
screw,  which  by  a  lever  is  made  to  fit  tightly  into  the 
hole.  An  attachment  is  then  made  with  the  screw 
and  jack,  the  latter  being  supported  by  a  rough  frame, 
and  held  from  the  safe  by  timbers  placed  against  the 
jambs,  when  the  shell  of  the  door  is  pulled  out  by 
main  force,  breaking  the  rivets. 

The  other  method  of  using  the  jack-screw  is  to 
force  the  door  inward,  breaking  it  into  pieces  that  are 
easily  removed  by  the  "jimmy." 

When  an  abutment  for  the  jack-screw  cannot  be 
obtained  by  placing  timbers  against  a  solid  partition 
or  other  object,  a  brace  is  obtained  by  securing  one 


3i4  THE    BURGLAR. 

end  of  a  long  timber  to  the  floor,  and  blocking  up  the 
other  end,  so  as  to  be  in  a  position,  central  to  the  door 
of  the  safe.  Against  this  and  the  door,  the  jack  is 
placed. 


A  great  many  fire  proof  safes  throughout  the 
country  have  been  opened  simply  by  the  pick  and 
jimmy.  With  safes  that  are  manufactured  of  ordinary 
plate  iron,  all  that  is  necessary  is,  first  with  several 
well  directed  blows  with  a  pick  to  make  an  aperture 
just  sufficient  to  receive  the  sharp  end  of  the  jimmy 
in  one  corner  of  the  panel,  then  with  the  jimmy  the 
iron  is  ripped  and  torn  out  the  whole  length  of  the 
panel,  thus  exposing  the  filling — the  latter  is  picked 
out  in  a  few  moments — the  bent  end  of  the  jimmy  is 
then  inserted  behind  the  bolt,  and  the  same  pried 
back  by  main  force,  breaking  the  wards  in  the  lock. 
This  operation  has  frequently  been  performed  in  from 
15  to  20  minutes. 

Thieves  have  adopted  a  good  many  ingenious 
ways  of  picking  locks,  and  some  of  them  have 
attained  a  delicacy  of  feeling,  by  which  they  have 
been  able  to  determine  with  fine  instruments  the  exact 
distance  it  was  necessary  to  raise  each  tumbler ;  but 
of  later  years  many  of  the  locks  have  been  specially 
constructed  with  the  view  of  foiling  anything  of  this 


THE    BURGLAR.  315 

kind.  Tumbler-locks  requiring  large  keys  have  been 
opened  by  forcing  around  in  them  a  blank  steel  key, 
breaking  the  wards  and  forcing  back  the  bolt. 

The  combination  of  some  locks,  it  is  claimed,  can 
be  ascertained  by  filling  each  of  the  apertures,  to 
receive  the  pivots,  with  wooden  pins,  excepting  one, 
in  which  a  small  particle  of  fulminating  powder  is 
exploded.  Then  by  withdrawing  the  pins  the  exact 
length  of  the  wards  is  determined  by  the  amount  of 
discoloration  on  these  pins. 

The  combination  of  the  dial  lock  can  be  found  by 
placing  under  the  back  of  the  dials  a  small  peculiarly 
manufactured  ratchet,  so  that  at  every  reverse  motion 
of  the  knob,  a  small  puncture  is  made  on  the  plate 
upon  which  it  moves,  or  upon  a  disc  of  paper  especi 
ally  secured  to  it  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  these 
impressions  or  punctures. 

A  celebrated  burglar  in  getting  at  the  contents  of 
the  vault  and  safes  of  a  noted  bank  had  two  of  these 
combination  dial  locks  to  open,  and  did  all  his  work 
in  one  night. 

In  all  cases  of  bank  robberies,  the  final  work  is 
generally  done  between  Saturday  night  and  Sunday 
morning.  The  tools  used  by  professional  bank  thieves 
are  those  commonly  used  by  mechanics — excepting 
the  jimmy,  which  for  the  heavier  work  is  made  in 
several  sections  to  be  screwed  together  when  required 


3i6  THE    BURGLAR. 

for  use — being  then  about  the  size  of  the  ordinary 
crow  bar. 


"NlPPED    IN    THE    BUD." 
A    WOULD-BE    BURGLAR   TRAPPED. 

AN  "  ounce  of  prevention  "  is  very  often  "  worth 
a  pound  of  cure,"  it  is  said,  and  events  frequently! 
justify  the  assertion.  The  following  narrative  of  an 
accidental  discovery  and  its  subsequent  benefit  to  the 
banking  community  of  a  thriving  city,  fully  proves 
the  correctness  of  that  theory,  and  also  furnishes  ad 
ditional  support  to  one  of  the  maxims  of  my  agency 
that  "  The  eye  of  the  detective  must  never  sleep." 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1876,  my  son, 
William  A.  Pinkerton,  was  engaged  in  Chicago  upon 
an  operation  which  required  him  to  temporarily  con 
sort  with  a  number  of  professional  thieves  and  burg 
lars,  and  in  the  course  of  which  he  made  numerous 
acquaintances  among  that  fraternity.  One  day  while 
he  was  in  company  with  several  of  these  "  Knights 
of  the  Jimmy,"  at  a  saloon  which  was  noted  as  a  re 
sort  for  this  class  of  people,  a  letter  carrier  entered 
with  a  letter  in  his  hand,  and  addressing  the  pro 
prietor,  said  : 


THE    BURGLAR.  317 

"  I  have  a  letter  here  for  '  Tip  Carroll/  directed  in 
your  care." 

It  was  well  known  among  the  frequenters  of  the 
place  that  "  Tip  Carroll,"  who  was  a  notorious  con 
fidence  man  and  general  thief,  had  some  time  previous 
had  an  altercation  with  the  proprietor  of  the  saloon, 
which  had  resulted  in  engendering  an  enmity  between 
the  two  men  which  promised  to  be  lasting. 

As  the  carrier  threw  the  letter  down  upon  the 
bar,  the  saloon  keeper  uttered  an  oath  to  the  effect 
that  Mr.  Carroll  might  depart  to  Plutonian  spheres 
before  he  would  attend  to  the  delivery  of  the  epistle 
to  him. 

He  tore  open  the  envelope,  and  was  about  to 
read  the  contents  when  William  interposed,  and 
good-naturedly  remarked : 

"  Never  mind,  Tom  ;  I'll  see  that  Tip  gets  his 
letter." 

11  Take  it,  then,"  said  Tom.  "  I  don't  intend  to 
bother  with  the  infernal  thing,"  and  he  tossed  the 
letter  over  to  William,  who  placed  it  in  his  pocket. 

William  thought  no  more  of  the  matter  until 
evening,  when  on  returning  to  the  agency,  he  remem 
bered  the  events  of  the  morning  and  drew  Mr.  Car 
roll's  letter  from  his  pocket.  As  he  did  so,  an  irre 
sistible  curiosity  to  know  the  contents  took  posses 
sion  of  him.  He  very  well  knew  the  character  and 


3i8  THE    BURGLAR. 

the  associates  of  the  man  to  whom  the  letter  was  ad 
dressed,  and  he  felt  reasonably  sure  that  a  perusal  of 
the  missive  would  be  of  advantage  to  him  in  a  pro 
fessional  way.  He  felt  convinced  that  the  cause  of 
justice  would  sanction  such  a  proceeding,  and  the 
sequel  fully  proved  that  he  was  correct.  At  length, 
satisfying  all  mental  scruples,  he  drew  the  letter  from 
its  inclosure  and  read  as  follows : 

"  DALLAS,  TEXAS,  Nov.  i,  1876. 
"Tip  CARROLL, 

"  DEAR  SIR  : — I  wish  you  would  send  me  your 
address  so  that  a  letter  could  reach  you  without  any 
person  seeing  it.  I  have  some  important  business 
with  you.  "  Address, 

"  BUSINESS, 
"  P.  O.  Box, 

"  Dallas,  Texas." 

Feeling  confident  that  something  of  a  " crooked" 
nature  was  implied  by  this  communication,  William 
laid  the  letter  before  me  on  the  following  morning, 
and  requested  my  opinion  and  advice  upon  the  mat 
ter.  Very  little  consideration  convinced  me  that  the 
surmises  of  William  were  well  grounded,  and  I  re 
solved  to  ascertain  further  particulars  about  "  Busi 
ness,"  and  the  nature  of  the  "  business  "  which  he  had 
with  Mr.  Carroll.  I,  therefore,  directed  William  to 
reply  to  the  letter  in  a  cramped  disguised  hand  to 


THE    BURGLAR  319 

purposely  misspell  his  words,  and  to  request  "  Busi 
ness  "  to  direct  his  response  to  Peter  Carroll,  to  the 
number  of  one  of  my  post-office  boxes  in  the  city. 

This  was  done,  the  letter  simply  containing  the 
name  of  Peter  Carroll  and  the  number  of  the  P.  O. 
Box  to  which  the  communication  should  be  directed. 
In  about  ten  days  after  this,  a  letter  was  received  with 
the  Dallas  P.  O.  mark  upon  it  and  addressed  to  *'  Peter 
Carroll,  P.  O.  Box,  Chicago,  111.,"  and  a  perusal  of 
its  contents  fully  justified  the  motive  which  had  led 
to  the  opening  of  the  first  letter. 

This  epistle  read  as  follows : 

''DALLAS,   NOV.    12,    1876. 

"  FRIEND  TIP  : — Your  note  came  to-day.  Now 
pay  attention  to  what  I  have  to  say,  I  have  a  chance 
to  make  fifty  or  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  if  you 
know  one  or  two  good  cracksmen  that  understand 
their  business  perfect.  I  will  give  them  a  good  show. 
It  can  be  done  without  any  trouble,  but  they  must 
understand  their  business.  They  are  banks.  Write 
in  haste. 

"  Yours  in  confidence, 
"  BUSINESS, 
"Box  1663, 

"Dallas,  Texas." 

I  now  began  to  distinguish  the  flavor  of  a  very 
large  mouse,  and  I  resolved  to  follow  the  matter  up 


320  THE    BURGLAR. 

to  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  I  accordingly  prepared 
a  reply  to  "  Business,"  which  I  thought,  would  answer 
the  purpose,  and  induce  this  would-be  burglar  to  dis 
close  his  identity.  The  next  day  the  following  letter 
was  written  and  mailed. 

"  CHICAGO,  Nov.  16,  1876. 
"  BUSINESS, 

"  DEAR  FRIEND  : — Yure  note  just  recived.  i  can 
git  the  peple  you  want  to  do  yure  buisness  and  do 
it  well.  They  wil  be  two  of  the  best  Gopher  men 
in  America.  But  now  you  must  talk  buisness. 
You  kno  I  must  kno  you.  Of  corse  you  kant 
egspect  me  to  go  into  anything  of  this  kind  without 
knoing  who  I  am  dealing  with  an  all  partickilars, 
rite  me  at  once  an  let  me  kno,  an  I  will  give  the  mat 
ter  attention  an  furnish  good  men.  Rite  what  make 
the  Gofes  are,  so  they  can  tell  what  kind  of  tools  to 
bring.  "  Yours  truly, 

"  TIP." 

This  letter,  as  I  fully  expected,  had  the  desired 
effect,  and  in  due  time  the  expected  reply  was 
received. 

"DALLAS,  Nov.  21,  1876. 

"  F  RiEND  TIP  : — Your  note  came  to  hand  to-day, 
and  I  was  glad  to  get  it.  Now  Tip,  you  ask  me  my 
name.  I  don't  blame  you  in  the  least.  Tip,  those 
vaults  are  of  common  soft  brick  with  dibold  doors 
and  insides  ;  you  can  enter  about  nine  o'clock  and 


THE    BURGLAR.  321 

stay  till  five  in  the  morning,  and  nobody  to  bother 
you  if  they  don't  make  too  much  noise.  There  will 
be  no  trouble  in  the  least  if  they  are  good  at  their 
business.  Now  Tip  it  is  a  long  time  since  I  seen 
you  and  you  will  be  surprised  when  you  see  my 
name.  But  I  hope  and  trust  you  won't  reveal  it,  for 
here  is  the  only  easy  chance  you  will  ever  have  to 
make  a  fortune.  All  I  want  is  for  you  to  do  just  as 
I  say  ;  when  you  leave,  come  straight  through,  and 
when  you  come  to  Dallas,  one  of  you  register  at  the 
St.  Charles,  as  W.  J.  Smith,  St.  Joe.  Mo.  ;  you,  L. 
Evans,  at  Commercial  Hotel  ;  the  other,  C.  Biddle, 
Baltimore,  Mo.,  at  Lamar  Hotel.  These  are  the 
hotels,  and  I  will  watch  for  those  names,  and  don't  go 
around  until  I  see  you,  and  if  I  don't  see  you  the 
night  you  come,  a  postal  will  find  me  and  I  will  take 
care  of  all.  Tip,  you  must  not  delay,  but  attend  to 
this  at  once  ;  Tip,  when  you  read  my  name  you  need 
not  faint,  for  I  guarantee  it  is  all  right,  and  if  you 
will  do  as  I  say  we  will  both  be  all  right. 

"My  name  is    Tom  Speider,  you  know  me  now; 
don't  be  alarmed  everything  is  all  right. 

"  1663,  Dallas." 

The  true  character  of   "  Business"  was  now  fully 

.  disclosed,    and    his    name    was    at    once    recognized. 

Some    fourteen    years    prior    to    this    he    had    been 

engaged  as  a  traveling   pickpocket    and    confidence 

man,  and  had   at   one  time  been  a  member  of  the 

police  force  in   Chicago.     At  that  time  he  operated 

14* 


322  THE    BURGLAR. 

with  "  Tip"  Carroll,  and  was,  therefore,  personally 
acquainted  with  him. 

I  resolved  to  warn  the  bankers  of  Dallas  against 
this  man,  and  to  make  inquiries  in  reference  to  his 
present  habits  and  occupation  ;  I  accordingly  wrote 
to  the  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  that 
city,  giving  him  all  the  information  that  I  had  as  yet 
received,  and  recommending  him  to  inform  all  others 
engaged  in  the  same  business  of  the  discovery  I  had 
made  ;  I  stated  the  matter  fully  to  them,  and  advised 
a  course  of  action  which  I  thought  would  result  in 
bringing  the  would-be  burglar  to  justice.  A  few  days 
after  this  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Kerr,  the 
president  of  the  bank  I  had  addressed,  stating  that 
after  consultation  with  the  various  banks  and  bank 
ers  in  the  city,  they  had  resolved  to  place  the  matter 
entirely  in  my  hands,  and  that  I  should  take  such 
steps  as  would  not  only  prevent  the  present  scheme 
from  succeeding,  but  that  would  result  in  placing  Mr, 
Speider  where  he  would  not  be  likely  to  do  any 
further  mischief  of  the  kind  contemplated. 

The  letter  also  contained  the  information  that 
Mr.  Speider  was  advertising  himself  as  a  detective, 
and  was  engaged  in  watching  several  of  the  banks  in 
the  city  of  Dallas.  From  his  position,  therefore,  he 
was  fully  qualified  to  carry  out  the  scheme  which  he 
had  suggested,  and  had  his  original  communication 


THE    BUSGLAR.  323 

not  fallen  into  the  hands  of  my  son,  he  might  have 
been  successful  in  robbing  the  institutions  which 
trusted  him  of  a  considerable  amount  of  money. 

As  it  was,  however,  I  determined  to  outwit  this 
pseudo  detective,  who  was  a  gross  libel  upon  the  pro 
fession,  and  to  arrange  such  a  plan  as  would  bring 
him  within  the  pale  of  the  law  and  its  punishing  in 
fluences. 

Knowing  full  well  that  Speider  was  acquainted 
with  Tip  Carroll,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
personate  that  individual  in  consequence  of  such  ac 
quaintance,  I  prepared  a  letter  which  requested  delay 
in  consummating  arrangements,  and  had  it  mailed 
from  the  city  of  New  York,  where  it  was  alleged 
Carroll  then  was.  The  letter  stated  that  Carroll 
would  return  in  a  short  time,  and  as  soon  as  he  ar 
rived  in  Chicago,  he  would  arrange  to  carry  out  plans 
proposed  to  him.  This  was  intended  to  pave  the 
way  for  a  suggestion  which  would  enable  others  to 
take  the  part  originally  designed  for  Mr.  Carroll,  and 
in  which  I  should  have  the  opportunity  of  making 
the  selection. 

After  allowing  a  sufficient  time  to  elapse,  another 
letter  was  prepared  for  Mr.  Speider  as  follows  : 

"  CHICAGO,  Dec.  4,  1876. 

"  FREND  TOM  : — i  got  home  Saterday  and  got 
youre  postel.  i  saw  my  men  yesterday  and  got  em 


324  THE    BURGLAR. 

reddy  to  start,  yesterday  i  got  nocked  down  by  a 
slay  an  run  over  an  severely  bruised,  an  my  left  elbo 
nocked  out  of  joint,  so  i  ain't  fit  to  travel  or  do  eny- 
thing,  but  i  will  advance  the  money  an  send  the  men 
on  to-day,  they  leave  here  to  nite  an  will  git  there  as 
as  soon  as  this  letter,  they  air  from  Buffalo,  Arther 
Garrity  will  have  a  letter  to  you  from  me,  he  will  stop 
at  St.  Charles  hotel  an  will  register  name  of  W.  J. 
Smith,  St.  Joe.  Missorey.  He  is  a  man  about  33  years 
of  age,  5  ft.  9  ins.,  small  thin  face,  brown  mustash, 
dress  ruff,  dark  overcoat,  black  slouch  hat  an  stoop 
sholders,  wen  you  mete  him  ask  him  how  Buisness  is 
in  St.  Joe.  an  he  will  say  Buisness  is  about  the  same 
as  it  is  here  in  Dallas,  then  he  will  reconise  you  an 
will  introduce  you  to  the  pal  who  is  Tom  Emmett, 
an  will  register  name  C.  Biddle,  Baltimore,  Md.,  at 
Lamar  Hotel.  Now  Tom,  i  hav  dun  all  i  can  fur 
you,  an  i  leve  you  an  the  other  men  to  say  what 
amont  of  the  swag  i  out  to  have,  an  i  am  only  sorry  i 
can't  be  present,  i  bot  all  the  tickets  and  got  the 
tools,  so  i  out  to  stand  in  to  sum  extent.  Garrity 
don't  want  to  take  the  pullingjack  i  bout  in  New 
York,  he  says  he  can  do  the  work  without  an  i  will 
see  he  has  everything  else,  you  will  find  him  game, 
a  good  workman  an  a  ded  rite  man.  Now  Tom  for 
God  sake  be  carefull,  work  shure.  i  will  be  anxious 
til  i  here  from  you. 

"  Ever  yure  frend, 

"Tip/1 


THE    BURGLAR.  3^5 

Prior  to  dispatching  this  letter,  I  sent  one  of  my 
operatives,  Mr.  Rogers,  to  Dallas,  in  order  to  arrange 
the  plans  necessary  for  the  proper  working  of  the 
operation  I  had  perfected.  Mr.  Rogers  arrived  in 
Dallas  in  due  time,  and  was  met  by  Mr.  Kerr,  the 
president  of  the  bank  originally  written  to,  and  was 
conducted  by  that  gentleman  to  the  hotel  where  he 
was  to  lodge  while  he  remained  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Rogers  found  the  banking  men  in  a  feverish 
state  of  anxiety,  which  threatened  materially  to  inter 
fere  with  the  success  of  our  enterprise.  They  had 
all  been  informed  of  the  matters  thus  far  ascertained, 
and  betrayed  their  interest  in  such  a  manner  that 
Rogers  was  fearful  they  would  betray  our  movements 
and  thus  frustrate  the  design  we  were  desirous  of 
accomplishing.  It  is  always  a  difficult  thing  to 
manage  an  operation  where  those  who  are  interested 
are  numerous,  and  where  the  proposed  measures 
must  be  submitted  to  and  discussed  by  many,  and 
realizing  this  fact,  Mr.  Rogers  endeavored  to  impress 
them  with  the  necessity  of  the  utmost  caution. 
Finally,  however,  it  was  definitely  arranged  that  the 
matter  should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  two  of  their 
number  who  were  to  consult  with  Mr.  Rogers,  from 
time  to  time,  and  to  whom  all  reports  were  to  be 
made  as  the  operation  progressed.  These  matters 
having  been  fully  arranged  and  everything  being  in 


326  THE    BURGLAR. 

readiness  to  commence  operations.  I  got  my  two 
men  ready  in  Chicago,  and  giving  them  full  instruc 
tions  and  providing  them  with  a  full  set  of  burglars 
tools  they  started  for  the  city  of  Dallas,  to  perform 
their  parts  as  expert  cracksmen. 

One  of  them  had  been  provided  with  a  letter  of 
introduction  from  the  supposed  "  Tip,"  which  read 
as  follows,  and  which  was  to  be  shown  to  Mr.  Speider 
after  they  met. 

CHICAGO,  Dec.  4,  1876. 

"  FREND  TOM  : — The  bearer  of  this,  is  my  frend 
Arther  Garrity,  about  who  i  rote  you.  He  is  a  good 
frend  of  mine,  an  understands  all  about  our  buisness, 
talk  to  him  just  the  same  as  you  would  to  me,  he  is 
all  strate.  he  wil  interduce  you  to  his  frend,  an  tel 
you  all  about  me.  pleas  du  all  you  can  fur  him, 
with  kind  regards. 

i  am  yure  frend, 

Tip. 

The  men  arrived  without  accident  at  Dallas,  and 
going  to  the  hotels  designated  by  Speider,  they 
registered  themselves  as  directed  by  him.  In  the 
evening,  and  before  they  had  met  Speider,  they 
arranged  an  interview  with  Rogers,  and  obtained 
from  him  all  the  information  that  had  been  learned 
since  his  arrival,  and  also  received  his  instructions  as 
to  their  mode  of  proceedings. 

On  the  following  morning,  as  Arther  Garrity  (or 


THF    BURGLAR.  327 

as  his  name  really  was  Woodford)  was  sitting  in  the 
reading  room  of  the  hotel  where  he  had  engaged 
quarters,  he  was  accosted  by  a  tall,  stout,  rather  good 
looking  man  about  forty  years  of  age,  who  approached 
him  familiarly,  and  extending  his  hand,  said  : 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Garrity,  how  is  business  in 
St.  Joe  ?" 

Garrity  arose,  and  taking  the  proffered  hand  of 
his  questioner,  replied  with  a  smile  and  a  wink,  in  the 
most  approved  style  of  the  Gopher  fraternity  : 

"  Well,  I  guess  business  is  about  the  same  as  it  is 
here  in  Dallas." 

During  the  time  that  he  was  awaiting  the  appear 
ance  of  Speider,  Garrity  procured  the  services  of  a 
barber,  and  his  hair  was  cut  in  the  fashion  so  much 
affected  by  those  who  pass  as  sporting  men,  and  as 
he  tipped  his  hat  over  his  eyes  and  greeted  the  new 
comer,  he  fully  portrayed  the  character  he  was  per 
sonating. 

The  man  who  thus  accosted  him  was  Tom  Speider, 
the  writer  of  the  letters,  the  detective-watchman,  and 
would-be  burglar,  and  after  several  inquiries  in  regard 
to  the  health  of  "  Tip,"  and  the  accident  which  had 
suddenly  befallen  him,  the  two  repaired  to  the  bar  of 
the  hotel,  where  they  cemented  their  acquaintance 
with  a  drink.  After  this  they  proceeded  to  the  hotel 
where  Emmett  was  stopping,  and  where  they  found 


328  THE    BURGLAR. 

him  awaiting  their  arrival.  Garrity  introduced  his 
companion  to  my  operative,  and  the  three  men  then 
strolled  toward  the  outskirts  of  the  city  where  they 
could  converse  with  more  freedom  and  without  fear 
of  being  overheard.  As  they  walked  along,  both  men 
endeavored  to  impress  upon  Speider  their  ability  for 
the  work  in  hand,  and  so  fully  did  they  succeed,  that 
before  their  return,  the  projector  of  the  enterprise 
was  quite  enthusiastic  in  his  praises,  and  perfectly 
sanguine  of  successful  operation.  He  again  wrote  to 
his  friend  Tip,  acquainting  him  with  the  fact  of  the 
arrival  of  the  two  men  and  of  their  intentions,  and 
this  letter  was  replied  to  by  me  to  the  entire  satisfac 
tion  of  the  concoctor  of  the  contemplated  burglary. 

The  next  day  Speider  took  the  two  men  to  the 
locality  of  the  bank  which  it  was  proposed  to  enter, 
in  order  that  they  might  look  over  the  ground  and 
make  their  plans  accordingly.  The  institution  that 
was  to  be  made  the  object  of  attack  was  the  banking- 
house  of  "  Adams  &  Leanord,"  which  was  reported 
to  carry  daily  balances  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  whose  building  could  be  more 
readily  entered  than  any  of  the  others.  Speider  had 
charge  of  the  watching  of  this  bank,  and  hence  the 
chances  of  detection  would  be  considerably  decreased. 
The  two  men  carefully  noted  all  the  surroundings 
and  freely  debated  upon  their  best  course  of  action, 


THE    BURGLAR.  329 

and  from  the  manner  in  which  they  discussed  their 
plans,  Speider  was  entirely  satisfied  that  his  friend 
'*  Tip  "  had  made  an  excellent  selection  of  men  for  the 
work,  and  his  mind  was  already  filled  with  visions  of 
suddenly  acquired  wealth. 

Meanwhile  Rogers  had  consulted  legal  authority, 
and  it  was  discovered  that  in  order  to  fully  sustain 
a  charge  of  conspiracy,  such  as  this  would  naturally 
be,  there  must  be  evidence  of  the  complicity  of  more 
than  one  guilty  party,  and  that  in  order  to  convict 
Speider  of  the  charge  he  must  be  proven  to  have 
been  connected  with  others  than  the  detectives,  in 
this  attempted  robbery  of  the  bank.  This  information 
was  communicated  to  Emmett  late  on  the  following 
evening,  and  they  were  directed  to  ascertain  if  there 
were  not  some  other  persons  interested  in  this  burg 
lary  than  themselves  and  Speider.  The  next  morn 
ing,  therefore,  by  adroit  questioning  they  discovered 
that  the  policeman  who  patrolled  the  beat  in  which 
the  bank  of  "  Adams  &  Leanord  "  was  located  was 
connected  with  the  matter  in  some  way,  and  that  he 
was  to  manage  matters  so  that  the  parties  working 
inside  should  be  duly  warned  of  any  approaching 
danger. 

After  dinner  on  that  day  Garrity  and  Emmett 
took  Speider  to  their  respective  hotels  where  they 
secured  the  tools  which  had  been  brought  for  the 


330  THE    BURGLAR. 

purpose,  and  Speider  after  gazing  at  them  admiringly, 
suggested  that  they  be  conveyed  to  his  house  where 
his  wife  would  take  good  care  of  them  and  where  they 
would  be  much  safer  than  if  they  were  left  at  the 
hotel,  where  the  prying  eyes  of  chambermaids  and 
porters  might  discover  their  nature  and  thus  spoil  the 
whole  operation.  At  this  suggestion  both  men 
appeared  to  grow  suspicious  and  gave  vent  to  their 
doubts  in  such  language  that  convinced  Speider  of 
their  sincerity  and  which  called  from  him  such  profuse 
expressions  of  fairness  and  square  dealing,  that  the 
men  were  reluctantly  convinced,  and  they  finally 
wrapped  the  tools  up  carefully,  which  were  carried  to 
Speider's  house  and  handed  over  to  Mrs.  Speider  for 
safe  keeping.  Speider  was  finally  led  to  speak  of  the 
policeman,  and  upon  Garrity  suggesting  that  he  could 
not  be  trusted,  the  watchman  declared  that  Duff,  the 
policeman,  dared  not  go  back  on  them,  as  he  had  been 
implicated  in  several  small  burglaries  prior  to  this 
which  would  send  him  to  the  penitentiary  if  he  dared 
to  do  anything  that  would  jeopardize  the  present 
undertaking.  Garrity  declined  to  be  satisfied  with 
this,  however,  and  insisted  upon  seeing  the  policeman 
himself,  so  as  to  be  thoroughly  convinced  that  he  was 
all  right  and  would  perform  his  share  in  the  work 
without  fail.  Speider  promised  that  the  policeman 
should  meet  them  that  evening,  when  they  could  talk 


THE    BURGLAR.  331 

the  matter  over  fully  with  him  and  that  they  would 
then  be  convinced  that  he  could  be  depended  upon 
to  do  all  that  was  required  of  him. 

This  being  satisfactorily  arranged  they  agreed  to 
wait  until  nightfall  before  taking  any  further  steps  in 
the  matter,  Garrity  declaring  that  he  wanted  to  be 
sure  that  everything  was  all  right  before  he  did  any 
thing  further.  That  evening  therefore  the  policeman 
was  on  hand  and  the  four  men  discussed  their  plans 
fully.  Duff  was  to  get  his  partner  away  from  the 
locality  at  an  early  hour  in  the  evening,  and  was  him 
self  to  patrol  the  streets  in  order  to  apprize  those  who 
would  be  working  within  of  the  approach  of  any  one 
who  might  hear  the  noises  inside  and  give  an  alarm. 
It  was  further  arranged  that  the  following  Sunday 
evening  should  be  selected  for  the  work  and  that 
everything  should  be  in  readiness  for  the  operation  at 
that  time.  It  was  also  found  necessary  to  procure  a 
sledge  hammer  in  order  to  force  the  doors  of  the 
bank  vault  and  Speider  guaranteed  to  furnish,  this, 
which  he  did  by  stealing  one  from  a  blacksmith  shop 
on  the  following  evening  and  had  it  covered  with  sole 
leather  by  one  of  his  boys  in  order  to  deaden  the 
sound,  and  thus  prevent  detection. 

From  day  to  day  Rogers  had  been  advised  of  all 
that  was  transpiring  and  his  information  was  duly 
forwarded  to  me  and  also  laid  before  the  members 


332  THE    BURGLAR. 

of  the  bankers'  committee,  who  had  the  matter  in 
charge.  The  men  spent  their  days  in  the  various 
saloons  and  in  a  manner  that  avoided  all  suspicion  of 
their  true  character  and  won  for  them  the  unqualified 
admiration  of  Speider. 

Sunday  afternoon  arrived  and  everything  was  in 
readiness  for  the  undertaking — a  close  examination 
had  been  made  of  the  bank  premises  and  the  mode  of 
effecting  their  entrance  fully  decided  upon.  As  the 
time  approached,  Speider  and  Duff  began  to  grow 
extremely  nervous.  Already  they  saw  a  fortune 
within  their  grasp,  and  had  already  devised  plans  of 
expending  a  considerable  portion  of  it.  The  plan  as 
arranged,  was  that  Duff  should  patrol  the  streets  in 
the  vicinity,  while  Speider  was  to  remain  on  guard  in 
front  of  the  building.  Garrity  and  Emmett  were  to 
enter  the  bank  and  perform  the  work  and  then  the 
proceeds  were  to  be  divided  in  such  proportion  as  had 
originally  been  agreed  upon. 

During  the  forenoon  when  it  was  arranged  that 
Speider  and  Duff  should  be  induced  by  my  men  to 
walk  to  another  part  of  the  city,  Rogers  accom 
panied  by  the  sheriff  and  a  Deputy  U.  S.  Marshal, 
entered  the  bank  building,  in  order  to  anticipate  the 
arrival  of  the  invaders.  These  men  made  themselves 
as  comfortable  as  possible  under  the  circumstances, 


THE    BURGLAR.  333 

and  were  fully  prepared  for  the  labor  that  they  ex 
pected,  would  fall  to  their  lot. 

Late  in  the  evening  Garrity,  Emmett,  and  Speider 
repaired  to  the  residence  of  the  latter,  and  received 
from  Mrs.  Speider  the  tools  which  had  been  left  in 
her  care.  The  dark  lantern  had  been  cleaned  and 
filled,  and  was  ready  for  use,  and  the  sledge-hammer 
had  been  neatly  covered  with  sole  leather.  Separat 
ing  at  the  residence  of  Speider  that  gentleman  took 
charge  of  the  implements  which  he  deposited  in  a  safe 
place  in  close  proximity  to  the  bank  while  the  others 
proceeded  by  a  circuitous  route,  and  reached  the 
locality  where  they  found  Speider  awaiting  their  ar 
rival.  Garrity,  however,  refused  to  proceed  further 
until  they  were  certain  of  the  whereabouts  of 
Duff,  the  policeman,  and  Speider  started  in  search  of 
him.  In  a  few  moments  he  returned  with  the  blue- 
coated  official,  who  explained  that  he  had  just  been 
making  arrangements  to  send  his  partner,  who  was 
weak  and  sickly,  home,  under  promise  of  patrolling  in 
his  stead. 

The  two  men  were  stationed  outside,  and  then 
Garrity  and  Emmett,  taking  up  their  tools,  made  their 
way  to  the  rear  entrance  of  the  bank,  the  door  of 
which  had  been  conveniently  left  unlocked  by  Rogers, 
who  was  waiting  within.  After  waiting  a  few  minutes 
under  pretense  of  forcing  an  entrance,  the  door  was 


334  THE    BURGLAR. 

swung  open  and  the  two  men  entered.  Here  they 
found  the  officers  of  the  law  and  Rogers  engaged  in 
partaking  of  a  midnight-lunch,  and  apparently  taking 
things  quite  coolly.  Seating  themselves  the  new  ar 
rivals  proceeded  to  pass  the  time  away,  occasionally 
striking  the  hammer  against  one  of  the  tools,  and 
flashing  the  rays  of  the  dark  lantern  across  the  win 
dow  in  order  to  convince  the  watchers  outside  that 
they  were  busy.  Thus  they  passed  nearly  three  quar 
ters  of  an  hour  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  thinking 
that  Speider  had  become  sufficiently  impatient  and 
anxious,  Garrity  went  out  to  see  him.  It  was  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  Speider  should  be  captured 
inside  the  bank,  and  Garrity  therefore  informed  him 
that  they  wanted  additional  help  in  order  to  open  the 
door  of  the  safe  and  requested  his  assistance. 

By  this  time  Speider  was  ripe  for  anything,  and 
without  a  word  of  demurrer  he  started  to  follow  Gar 
rity  into  the  bank.  Garrity,  however,  cautioned  him 
against  this  and  told  him  to  give  a  good  look  around 
before  coming  after  him,  and  then  he  returned  and 
informed  the  officers  who  stationed  themselves  in 
convenient  positions  for  his  arrest.  In  a  few  mo 
ments  the  door  was  slowly  opened  and  the  face  of 
Speider  appeared  in  the  opening.  Noiselessly  he 
entered,  and  just  as  he  had  removed  his  shoes,  and 
\vas  about  to  advance  towards  the  safe,  Emmett 


THE    BURGLAR.  t        335 

flashed  the  lantern  upon  him  and  two  officers  grasped 
him  by  the  shoulders.  Two  pistols  were  pointed  at 
his  head,  and  he  realized  at  once  that  resistance  was 
worse  than  useless.  He  gazed  helplessly  around  and 
at  length  muttered  : 

"  A  put  up  job  by  God  !  and  I  am  in  for  it !" 

He  was  soon  secured,  and  then  Garrity  and  the 
Marshal  started  out  after  the  policeman.  Finding 
him  in  close  proximity,  a  similar  application  of  force 
and  the  like  display  of  revolvers  were  sufficient  to 
induce  him  to  surrender. 

A  visit  was  then  paid  to  the  residence  of  Speider, 
and  his  family  were  arrested,  Mrs.  Speider  being 
fully  dressed  and  anxiously  awaiting  the  return  of 
her  husband  with  the  promised  fortune,  and  the  two 
boys  lying  in  bed  with  their  clothes  on. 

The  entire  party  were  marched  to  the  station, 
and  were  duly  bound  over  to  await  their  trial,  and 
the  punishment  they  so  richly  merited  was  soon 
thereafter  dealt  out  to  them. 

A  feeling  of  relief  pervaded  the  entire  banking 
community  of  Dallas,  when  the  success  of  our  opera 
tives  became  known,  and  all  were  united  in  praises 
of  the  efforts  which  had  led  to  the  discovery  of  the 
true  character  of  a  trusted  watchman  who  was  con 
spiring  to  defraud  them. 

Thus  it  was  that  the  accidental  receipt  of  the  origi- 


336  THE    BURGLAR. 

nal  letter  of  "  Business,"  led  to  the  unearthing  of  a 
contemplated  crime,  and  effectually  prevented  the 
commission  of  a  burglary,  which  under  other  circum 
stances,  would  have  been  successfully  consummated. 

The  methods  mentioned  above  are  those  which 
have  been  successfully  operated  by  the  burglars,  who 
have  infested  the  country  from  time  to  time  during 
the  past,  and  I  have  endeavored  to  show  the  daring 
and  skill  displayed  by  these  reckless  men,  and  the 
proficiency  they  have  attained  in  their  questionable 
calling.  Nerved  to  his  task  by  his  fear  of  detection, 
and  his  desire  to  obtain  the  vast  wealth  of  others 
without  the  labor  of  earning,  and  the  delays  of  accu 
mulation,  the  burglar  brings  to  bear  upon  his  under 
takings,  all  the  resources  of  his  cunning  and  skill. 
Numerous  expedients  are  resorted  to  and  experi 
mented  with,  until  a  plan  is  matured  sufficiently  to 
warrant  operation  with  a  sure  prospect  of  success. 
Then  comes  the  manufacturing  of  the  tools  and 
implements,  which  is  easily  accomplished,  and  the 
burglar  is  fully  prepared  for  his  work  of  plunder  and 
destruction. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  too  great  care 
cannot  be  exercised  by  those  who  occupy  responsible 
positions  in  the  management  of  large  financial  institu 
tions.  The  thief  and  the  burglar  are  ever  on  the  alert 
to  discover  the  weak  points  in  the  bank  buildings  that 


THE    BURGLAR.  337 

come  under  their  notice,  and  it  behooves  every  one  to 
see  that  no  such  weakness  exists.  Watchmen  upon 
the  inside  and  outside  of  the  building,  strict  discipline 
among  the  clerical  force,  and  a  careful  watchfulness, 
maintained  upon  all  strangers  who  approach  the  bank, 
or  are  seen  in  the  vicinity,  will  tend  very  much  to 
secure  the  protection  so  much  needed.  "  Eternal 
vigilance  is  the  price  of  safety,"  and  this  fact  is  in  no 
case  more  true  and  potent  than  in  guarding  banking 
institutions  from  the  attacks  and  depredations  of  the 
daring  and  skillful  burglars  who  exist  in  such  large 
numbers  throughout  the  country. 


FORGERS  AND  FORGING. 


Draft  raising. — An  Amateur  Forger. — A  Clever  Forgery. — Rem 
iniscences  of  expert  Forgers. —  The  King  of  Forgers. — Cor 
porations  floated  by  Forged  Securities. —  Wild-Cat  Insurance 
Companies — A  Forger  of  many  experiences. —  The  Bank  of 
England  Forgers. — A  Forger  of  two  Continents. 

FORGERY  and  counterfeiting  are  very  closely 
allied  to  each  other,  the  former  being,  in  fact 
but  another  form  of  counterfeiting  than  those  I  have 
previously  described,  where  the  paper  and  coined 
moneys  of  nations  and  banking  institutions  are  suc 
cessfully  imitated,  and  passed  for  their  full  value  upon 
the  ignorant  and  the  unsuspecting.  Forgery,  in  al 
most  all  of  its  phases,  requires  more  skillful  and  del 
icate  workmanship  than  ordinary  counterfeiting, 
from  the  fact  that  the  imitations  thus  produced  must 
be  so  close  and  perfect,  as  frequently  to  deceive  the 
very  men  whose  signatures  and  forms  are  dishonestly 
copied.  Banking-house  tellers  are  skilled  in  detect- 

[338] 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  339 

ing  the  slightest  variations  from  the  genuine  paper 
presented  to  them  for  payment,  and  they  are  quick 
to  discover  any  defect  in  the  signatures  of  their 
depositors  with  whose  handwriting  they  have  become 
familiar.  To  perfect,  therefore,  a  forged  check  of 
some  perminent  business  house  or  corporation,  for  a 
large  amount  of  money,  many  things  are  required  of 
the  forger,  which  only  those  skilled  in  the  art,  are 
capable  of  producing.  In  the  first  place,  the  style  of 
paper  on  which  the  check  is  printed  must  be  similar, 
then,  as  most  depositors  have  their  own  specially 
printed  checks,  the  imitation  in  the  engraving  of  the 
various  designs,  must  be  simulated  perfectly.  Then 
comes  the  filling  up  of  the  body  of  the  check,  then 
the  proper  number,  and  last,  though  very  far  from 
least,  the  forging  of  the  peculiar,  and  the  well-known 
signatures  of  the  drawers  of  the  check.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  it  is  not  the  casual  and  careless 
observer,  who  is  to  be  deceived,  as  in  the  passage  of 
counterfeit  money,  but  the  skilled  and  educated 
officer  of  the  bank,  who  has  been  trained  by  years  of 
experience,  to  a  quickness  of  judgment  and  a  sharp 
ness  of  vision  in  such  matters,  which  in  many  cases 
seem  to  be  phenomenal.  Not  only  must  the  forger 
be  a  finished  penman,  but  he  must  possess  a  wide 
knowledge  of  the  chemical  qualities  of  the  various 
inks  which  are  used  in  the  commercial  world,  in  order 


340  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

procure  perfect  imitations  of  their  colors  and  density  ; 
and  he  must  be  shrewd  enough  in  a  business  sense,  to 
obtain  many  trifling  items  of  information,  regarding 
the  work  he  designs  to  perform,  without  which 
success  would  be  utterly  impossible. 

It  is,  of  course,  necessary  for  the  forger  to  obtain 
a  genuine  check,  before  he  can  accomplish  his  work 
of  imitation,  and  this  difficulty  is  generally  overcome 
in  a  straightforward,  business-like  manner.  If  the 
check  of  a  broker  or  a  banker  is  desired,  a  small 
Government  bond  is  disposed  of,  and  the  forger  re 
quests  a  check  for  the  amount,  as  he  wishes  to  send 
it  away  by  mail.  No  suspicion  can  possibly  attach 
to  a  request  of  this  simple  character,  and  the  check 
is  given  without  hesitation.  If  a  merchant  has  been 
selected  as  the  victim,  the  forger  has  been  known  to 
make  a  small  purchase  and  present  a  large  note  in 
payment,  say  a  one  hundred  or  a  five  hundred  dollar 
note,  and  then  to  politely  request  that  a  check  be 
given  him  for  the  balance  due  him,  as  he  is  afraid  he 
may  lose  the  money  before  reaching  his  home,  which 
is  outside  of  the  city.  This  explanation  is  generally 
received  in  good  faith,  and  the  check  is  obtained. 
Various  methods  are  adopted  to  meet  the  varying  re 
quirements,  and  in  the  incidents  which  I  shall  here 
after  detail,  their  full  working  will  be  illustrated. 

As  may  be  imagined,  only  the  most  skillful  men 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  341 

have  been  able  to  obtain  any  success  in  this  particu 
lar  branch  of  criminal  practice,  and  hence  the  num 
ber  of  successful  forgers  have  been  comparatively 
small,  although  a  sufficient  number  have  existed  to 
prove  of  severe  embarrassment  and  serious  loss  to 
many  careful  and  honest  business  men  and  sound  fi 
nancial  corporations. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  of  worthless 
bonds  of  corporations  have  been  forged  and  counter 
feited,  and  have  been  accepted  as  genuine  by  men 
who  were  considered  excellent  judges  of  such  mat 
ters,  and  when  detection  occurred,  it  has  frequently 
been  found  almost  impossible  to  point  out  any  mate 
rial  differences  between  the  genuine  and  the  imita 
tion.  Banks  and  savings  institutions  have  loaned 
large  sums  of  money  upon  these  fraudulent  imita 
tions,  and  have  carried  them  in  fancied  security  for  a 
long  time,  before  their  spurious  character  was  discov 
ered.  When  such  things,  therefore,  are  possible  in 
this  day  of  business  intelligence,  and  advanced  modes 
of  commercial  interchanges,  it  is  evident  that  the  indi 
viduals  capable  of  producing  such  deceptions,  must 
be  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary  skill  and  genius. 

In  attempting  to  afford  the  reader  a  definite  and 
somewhat  comprehensive  idea  of  the  modes  of  opera 
tion  of  the  forgers,  I  have  selected  several  instances 
of  successful  work  in  that  line,  in  order  to  more  ade- 


342  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

quately  illustrate  this  manner  in  which  this  work  is 
done,  believing  this  to  be  a  better  means  of  illustra 
tion  than  a  mere  technical  description  of  their  tools 
and  implements,  and  their  manner  of  using  them. 


DRAFT    RAISING. 

DURING  the  year  1877  considerable  consternation 
was  caused  among  the  banks  of  several  of  the  Eastern 
cities,  by  the  discovery  of  a  number  of  raised  drafts, 
which  had  passed  unsuspected,  through  several  banks, 
and  had  been  paid  without  a  doubt  or  question  of 
their  genuineness.  The  methods  adopted  by  the 
men  who  had  so  successfully  carried  out  this  scheme, 
were  exceedingly  simple,  but  so  complete  was  their 
work  in  its  execution,  that  failure  was  almost  an 
impossibility.  Although  several  men  were  engaged 
in  this  fraudulent  work,  but  two  men  were  necessary 
for  success  at  any  given  point,  and  hence  they  were 
not  so  liable  to  detection  as  if  a  number  of  confeder 
ates  were  engaged.  It  was  the  business  of  one  of 
these  men  to  enter  a  bank,  and  purchase  a  draft  on 
New  York  City,  for  a  certain  amount  of  money, 
usually  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  a  short 
time  after  this,  another  draft  would  be  procured  from 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  343 

the  same  bank  for  a  small  amount,  seldom  over  ten 
dollars.  These  drafts  procured,  they  were  handed  to 
the  "  raiser,"  or  the  man  who  was  to  alter  the  paper 
for  their  dishonest  purposes.  In  a  short  time  the 
small  draft  was  raised  to  be  a  perfect  duplicate  of 
the  large  one,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  both  as 
regards  number,  amount,  place  of  presentation,  &c.  I 
have  seen  several  of  these  altered  drafts,  and  they  were 
the  most  skilfully  executed,  of  any  articles  of  the  kind 
which  I  had  ever  seen,  and  were  in  all  respects  well 
calculated  to  deceive.  This  work  of  alteration  being 
fully  completed,  one  of  the  men  would  then  remove 
to  another  city,  and  forward  the  "raised"  draft  to 
New  York  by  express  for  collection,  or  else  would  go 
to  that  city  himself,  and  have  it  cashed  through  some 
respectable  person.  Immediately  on  receiving  the 
money  he  would  telegraph  his  companion  in  words 
previously  agreed  upon,  informing  him  of  the  success 
ful  result  of  the  first  move.  The  other  confederate, 
upon  the  receipt  of  this  information,  would  then  at 
once  repair  to  the  bank  where  the  drafts  had  been 
procured,  and  presenting  the  genuine  draft  for  the 
large  amount  of  money,  would  request  that  the  money 
be  refunded,  giving  as  an  excuse  for  not  using  it, 
either  that  he  could  not  be  identified  in  the  New  York 
bank,  and  for  that  reason  could  not  collect  it,  or  that 
the  business  he  had  procured  it  for  had  not  been 


344  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

consummated.  The  bank  officials  would  at  once 
recognize  him  as  the  person  who  had  purchased  the 
draft,  and  would  unhesitatingly  hand  him  back  the 
money,  which  he  had  paid.  Of  course  he  would 
<quickly  disappear  from  that  locality,  never  to  be  seen 
in  it  again — and  the  forgery  would  not  be  discovered 
until  in  the  due  course  of  ordinary  business,  the  other 
draft  for  the  same  amount  would  be  returned  for  pay 
ment.  This  mode  of  swindling  had  been  done  so 
successfully  that  more  than  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars  were  realized  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of 
time,  and  before  any  general  well-grounded  suspicion 
of  foul  play  had  been  formed. 

Being  retained  by  several  of  the  parties  who  had 
suffered  severe  losses  in  the  manner  above  related,  I 
soon  succeeded  in  ferreting  out  the  men  who  were 
concerned  in  these  swindles,  and  they  were  eventually 
punished,  besides  which  I  recovered  nearly  thirty 
thousand  dollars  of  the  money  they  had  so  fraudulently 
obtained. 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  345 


AN  AMATEUR  FORGER. 

THE  perpetration  of  successful  forgeries  have  not 
been  confined  to  those  skilled  in  crime,  or  whose  long 
experience  in  acts  of  dishonesty,  have  enabled  them  to 
deceive  with  impunity.  There  are  instances  on  re 
cord  where  men  whose  previous  lives  have  been  stain 
less,  whose  honor  was  above  reproach,  have  become 
by  one  act  the  successful  forger,  and  the  skillful 
criminal.  In  the  year  1880,  my  attention  was  called 
to  a  matter  which  fully  illustrates  this  proposition, 
and  I  will  relate  it  here. 

One  afternoon,  early  in  the  month  of  July,  and  in 
the  year  I  have  just  mentioned,  a  young  lad  sauntered 
leisurely  through,  the  park,  which  surrounds  the 
municipal  buildings  in  New  York  City.  The  lad  was 
a  bright,  handsome  fellow,  in  whose  face  were  reflected 
the  evidences  of  intelligence  and  honesty,  but  there 
was  also  a  careworn,  anxious  look  about  him,  as  though 
he  was  in  trouble.  He  finally  threw  himself  down 
upon  one  of  the  benches,  and  drawing  from  his  pocket 
a  daily  paper,  began  eagerly  to  scan  the  column  of 
"  wants."  The  shadow  of  disappointment  deepened 
as  he  finished  his  perusal,  wearily  folded  the  paper, 
and  placed  it  in  his  pocket.  While  he  was  engaged 
in  reading,  however,  he  had  been  carefully  observed 


346  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

by  a  well-dressed  man,  who  stood  at  some  distance 
removed  from  him,  and  regarded  him  intently. 

Apparently  satisfied  with  his  scrutiny,  the  man 
approached  the  bench  where  the  boy  was  sitting,  and 
took  a  seat  by  his  side.  His  appearance  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  boy,  who  noticed  that  one  of  the 
sleeves  of  his  coat  hung  loosely  by  his  side,  the 
stranger  having  lost  one  of  his  arms. 

The  man  addressed  a  few  questions  to  the  youth 
about  various  localities  in  the  city,  and  finally  inquired 
if  he  was  engaged  in  any  employment  at  present.  To 
this,  the  youth  replied  that  he  was  not  employed  and 
was  very  anxious  to  procure  something  to  do. 

"  Can  you  write  a  good  hand  ?"  asked  the  stranger. 

The  boy  replied  that  he  could. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  just  the  boy  I  am  looking  for 
then,"  said  the  man.  "If  you  will  come  over  to  my 
hotel,  and  give  me  a  sample  of  your  hand-writing,  I 
can  decide  at  once." 

The  lad  jumped  up  with  alacrity,  and  followed  the 
man  without  hesitation.  They  proceeded  directly  to 
French's  Hotel,  and  ascended  to  the  upper-floor, 
where  the  stranger,  unlocked  one  of  the  rooms  and 
invited  his  youthful  companion  to  enter.  In  the  cen 
ter  of  the  room  there  was  a  table  on  which  were  scat 
tered  writing  materials  and  directing  the  young  man 
to  take  a  seat,  he  requested  him  to  write  a  sample  of 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  347 

what  he  was  able  to  do.  The  young  man  noticed  that 
the  paper  which  was  handed  to  him  contained 
the  name  of  "  Babcock  &  Co.,  Jacksonville,  Florida," 
printed  at  the  top  of  the  sheet,  and  that  it  was  an 
ordinary  letter-sheet,  used  by  business-houses  in  con 
ducting  their  correspondence.  The  boy  wrote  for 
some  time  at  the  dictation  of  the  stranger,  who  after 
examining  it  carefully,  expressed  himself  well  pleased 
with  the  result. 

"  I  think  your  writing  will  answer  very  well,"  said 
he,  after  a  pause.  "  I  will  not  have  any  work  for  you 
to-day,  but  if  you  will  call  upon  me  to-morrow  morn 
ing  I  will  be  able  to  give  you  something  that  will  keep 
you  busy." 

The  boy  thanked  the  stranger  for  his  kindness, 
and  promising  to  report  promptly  on  the  following 
day,  took  his  leave,  the  stranger  at  the  same  time 
placing  in  his  hand,  a  bright  silver  dollar.  Faithful 
to  his  promise,  the  boy  called  at  the  hotel  on  the  next 
morning,  and  was  shown  into  another  room  to  which 
his  prospective  employer  had  removed  since  his  first 
visit. 

The  stranger,  whose  name  was  afterward  discov 
ered  to  be  James  Babcock,  greeted  the  boy  very 
kindly  upon  his  arrival,  and  placed  a  chair  for  him  at 
a  table  near  the  window.  After  the  boy  had  seated 
himself,  Mr.  Babcock  handed  him  a  piece  of  writing, 


348  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

to  which  the  name  of  "  A.  J.  Baldwin  "  was  signed, 
and  requested  him  to  imitate  the  signature  as  nearly 
as  possible.  The  boy  made  a  number  of  copies  of 
the  name,  endeavoring  to  follow  closely  the  copy  set 
before  him,  and  at  length  Mr.  Babcock  expressed 
himself  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  result  he  had 
achieved.  He  now  placed  a  number  of  printed 
sheets  before  the  boy,  which  he  directed  him  to  sign 
the  name  he  had  been  practicing  on,  in  a  blank  space 
which  he  indicated.  The  boy  worked  assiduously 
and  successfully,  filling  in  the  signatures  designated, 
and  when  he  had  completed  his  labors  the  stranger 
handed  him  two  dollars,  and  stated  that  he  had  no 
further  work  for  him  just  then,  but  would  send  for 
him  if  he  desired  his  further  services. 

The  boy,  overjoyed  at  the  large  wages  which  he 
had  received  for  comparatively  such  little  work,  has 
tened  to  his  home,  and  acquainted  his  parents  with 
the  nature  of  his  occupation,  at  the  same  time  stat 
ing  his  belief  that  the  papers  which  he  had  signed 
were  bonds  of  some  kind.  The  father  of  the  young 
man  at  once  became  suspicious,  and  he  resolved  to 
communicate  the  facts  to  some  one,  who  could  make 
the  proper  inquiries,  to  discover  the  true  nature  of 
a  transaction  which  smacked  of  apparent  dishonesty, 
and  in  which  his  son  had  been  made  an  innocent  par 
ticipator.  He  accordingly  sought  out  a  gentleman 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  349 

connected  with  a  prominent  newspaper,  published  in 
Brooklyn  N.  Y.,  and  the  journalist,  after  cautioning 
his  informant  to  keep  the  matter  entirely  secret,  re 
paired  at  once  to  my  agency  in  New  York  city  and 
gave  the  full  particulars  to  my  son,  Robert  A.  Pinker- 
ton.  After  listening  attentively  to  the  recital,  Rob 
ert  was  convinced  that  some  act  of  dishonesty  was 
about  to  be  attempted.  The  strange  employment  of 
the  boy,  and  the  character  of  the  work  he  was  en 
gaged  to  do,  fully  justified  this  opinion,  and  he  deter 
mined  to  sift  the  affair  thoroughly,  in  order  to  assure 
himself  of  the  correctness  of  his  suspicions. 

Careful  and  covert  inquiries  soon  developed  the 
fact  that  James  Babcock  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Babcock  &  Co.,  who  were  largely  engaged  as  dealers 
and  packers  of  oranges  and  fruits  in  the  city  of  Ja^pk- 
sonville,  Florida.  It  was  also  ascertained  that  he 
had.  been  in  the  city  for  some  time,  engaged  in  raising 
money  on  advances  of  sales,  and  other  commercial 
paper,  for  the  benefit  of  the  firm  he  represented.  A. 
J.  Baldwin,  the  gentleman  whose  name  had  been  im 
itated  and  signed  to  these  documents,  it  was  learned, 
was  an  ex-Mayor  of  Jacksonville. 

After  considering  the  matter  fully,  Robert  wrote 
a  communication  to  the  Mayor  of  Jacksonville,  Flor 
ida,  asking  for  further  information  in  regard  to  Bab 
cock  and  Baldwin,  and  requesting  if  the  matter  was 


350  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

deemed  of  sufficient  importance,  that  an  officer  be 
sent  on  to  investigate  further  into  the  affair. 

The  Mayor,  on  receipt  of  Robert's  communica 
tion,  at  once  called  a  meeting  of  his  Municipal  ad 
visers,  and  they,  believing  that  some  dishonest 
scheme  was  being  consummated,  despatched  the 
Chief  of  Police  of  that  city,  to  New  York  with  full 
power  to  take  such  measures  as  were  deemed  neces 
sary  under  the  circumstances.  In  due  course  of  time 
that  officer  arrived  in  the  city,  and  a  visit  was  at  once 
made  to  the  residence  of  the  boy  who  had  performed 
the  writing  service  for  Mr.  Babcock,  and  finding  the 
young  man  at  home,  he  related  at  length  his  experi 
ence  with  the  one-armed  gentleman. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Babcock  had  been  kept  under 
strict  surveillance,  and  he  was  still  a  guest  at  French's 
Hotel.  On  the  following  evening  therefore,  Robert, 
in  company  with  the  Jacksonville  officer,  and  the  boy, 
called  at  the  hotel  and  inquired  for  Mr.  Babcock. 
That  gentleman  was  discovered  standing  in  the  bar 
room,  and  was  at  once  recognized  as  the  individual 
they  were  in  search  of. 

As  the  two  approached  him,  he  seemed  to  recog 
nize  the  officer  from  his  native  city,  and  evinced  the 
greatest  confusion,  when  he  found  him  in  the  com 
pany  of  the  boy  who  had  been  used  to  facilitate  his 
imitations  of  other  men's  signatures. 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  351 

Mr.  Cooper,  the  chief  of  police,  advanced  di 
rectly  to  Mr.  Babcock,  and  addressed  him  : 

"  Mr.  Babcock,  I  understand  that  you  have  some 
Florida  bonds  in  your  possession,  which  we  are  very 
anxious  to  secure." 

This  was  a  bold  stroke  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Cooper, 
but  it  was  deemed  best  to  waste  no  words  with  the 
gentleman  whatever.  It  was  suspected  that  the 
papers  which  Babcock  was  manipulating  were  bonds 
issued  by  the  city  of  Jacksonville,  because  that  city 
had  been  engaged  recently  in  placing  their  bonds  on 
the  market,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  several  im 
provements  in  the  condition  of  their  water-works  and 
streets.  Hence  it  was  deemed  best  to  assume  that 
these  bonds  were  what  Mr.  Cooper  designated  them, 
and  to  accuse  Babcock  directly  with  the  crime. 

Mr.   Babcock  assumed  an  air  of  righteous  indig- 

o  o 

nation,  on  being  thus  accused,  and  replied  : 

"  It  is  a  lie,  sir  !  I  have  nothing  of  the  kind  about 
me,  and  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean  !" 

"  Very  well,  Mr.  Babcock,"  quietly  interposed 
Robert,  "  there  is  no  use  getting  angry  about  it  ;  we 
are  authorized  to  search  your  apartments  and  then 
we  will  discover  for  ourselves  whether  you  are  speak 
ing  the  truth  or  not." 

At  this  threatened  investigation,  the  bravado  of 
Mr.  Babcock  suddenly  deserted  him,  and  his  face 


352  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

paled  perceptibly,  a  public  exposure  was  not  to  his 
taste,  and  he  broke  down  completely.  After  a 
momentary  struggle  he  said  : 

"Come  up  stairs,  gentlemen,  and  I  will  make  a 
clean  breast  of  the  whole  affair." 

The  party  then  ascended  to  the  room  occupied 
by  Babcock,  and  after  they  had  entered,  he  openly 
confessed  to  having  a  quantity  of  forged  paper  in  his 
possession,  but  solemnly  assured  the  officers  that  he 
had  made  no  attempt  to  make  any  use  of  it. 

An  investigation  of  his  trunks  was  then  begun, 
which  soon  resulted  in  discovering  the  existence  of 
forty -six  thousand  dollars  in  five -hundred -dollar 
bonds  and  forty  thousand  dollars  in  one-thousand- 
dollar  bonds,  of  "The  Sanitary  Improvement  Com 
pany  of  Jacksonville,  Fla.,"  all  purporting  to  be  duly 
executed,  and  properly  signed  by  the  several  officers 
of  the  company,  and  the  city  authorities,  and  to  which 
was  attached  a  well-counterfeited  seal  of  the  corpora 
tion. 

The  proofs  of  his  dishonest  intentions  were  too 
manifest  to  be  denied,  and  Babcock,  realizing  that  a 
full  expose  would  inevitably  follow  this  first  discovery, 
at  least  concluded  to  make  a  free  confession  of  his 
nefarious  practices  while  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

It  was  developed,  that  Babcock  was  fully  conver 
sant  with  the  fact  of  the  issuing  of  these  bonds,  by 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  353 

"  The  Sanitary  Improvement  Company  of  Jackson 
ville,"  his  native  city,  and  was  acquainted  with  all  the 
gentlemen  connected  with  that  corporation.  He  was 
also  fully  informed,  as  to  where  and  by  whom  the 
bonds  were  printed,  and  had  laid  his  plans  for  forgery 
with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  the  circumstances  at 
tending  their  issue.  The  bonds  which  were  found  in 

o 

his  possession,  instead  of  being  the  work  of  clever 
counterfeiters,  were  found  to  have  been  actually 
printed  from  the  original  lithographic  stones  from 
which  the  genuine  bonds  had  been  printed,  and  by 
the  same  firm  which  had  been  engaged  to  do  the  work 
for  the  Jacksonville  corporation.  How  this  was  ac 
complished  can  readily  be  explained.  Babcock  knew 
that  these  bonds  were  printed  in  New  York  City,  and 
on  his  arrival  in  that  city  he  had  visited  the  printing 
establishment,  armed  with  a  forged  order  from  J. 
Ramsey  Day,  the  Mayor  of  Jacksonville,  ordering  the 
firm  to  print  an  additional  number  of  the  bonds  to  the 
extent  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in 
denominations  of  five  hundred  and  one  thousand 
dollars.  Of  course  no  suspicions  were  entertained 
by  the  printers,  and  having  but  recently  printed  the 
bonds  for  the  company,  they  were  able  to  fill  this  sec 
ond  order  at  once,  and  Babcock  received  the  bonds 
in  a  few  days.  The  engraver  who  had  made  the  seal 
was  also  imposed  upon  with  the  same  plausible  story, 


354  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

and  he  furnished  to  Babcock  a  perfect  fac  simile  of 
the  seal  he  had  originally  furnished  to  the  Jacksonville 
authorities.  Having  been  thus  successful  in  obtain 
ing  the  genuinely  printed  bonds  and  a  perfect  imita 
tion  of  the  seal,  the  only  thing  remaining  to  be  done 
was  to  secure  the  signatures  of  the  men  who  were 
connected  with  the  issuing  of  these  securities. 

For  this  purpose  Babcock  had  from  time  to  time 
secured  the  services  of  a  number  of  boys,  in  the  same 
manner  as  that  related  by  the  boy  through  whom  this 
exposure  had  been  made.  Each  name  had  been 
signed  and  imitated  by  a  different  person,  and  by 
this  means  no  similarity  was  manifested  in  the  for 
geries. 

With  this  valise  filled  with  these  fraudulent  secu 
rities,  Babcock  was  about  to  set  forth  upon  a  jour 
ney  to  several  western  cities  in  order  to  raise  money 
by  negotiating  them.  He  had  made  all  his  arrange 
ments  to  leave  upon  the  following  day,  and  the  officers 
had  arrived  just  in  time  to  frustrate  his  well-conceived 
plans. 

Twenty-five  thousand  dollars  of  these  bonds  had 
already  been  disposed  of,  to  reputable  merchants  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  who  had  received  them  unsus 
pectingly  as  collateral  security  for  goods  and  money 
which  Babcock  had  obtained.  To  one  firm  he  had 
given  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  to  another 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  355 

nine  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  and  to  the  third 
the  amount  of  thirteen  thousand  dollars.  These 
parties  had  no  idea  of  the  worthless  character  of  the 
securities  they  had  taken,  and  when  informed  of  the 
fact  were,  as  may  be  imagined,  considerably  surprised. 
Babcock,  however,  was  compelled  to  make  full  resti 
tution,  which  he  did,  not  having,  as  yet,  disposed  of 
the  money  thus  fraudulently  obtained. 

The  counterfeiter  and  forger  was  duly  arraigned 
for  trial,  and  being  eventually  convicted  was  sentenced 
to  an  imprisonment  which  will  no  doubt  have  a  salu 
tary  effect  in  preventing  him  from  engaging  in  any 
further  attempts  to  enrich  himself  at  the  expense  of 
others. 

This  is  a  strange  case,  in  which  a  successful  for 
gery  and  a  perfect  counterfeit  was  accomplished  by 
a  man  of  good  business  reputation,  with  every  pros 
pect  of  winning  a  fortune  by  legitimate  means — and 
with  no  knowledge  of  the  forger's  arts  or  intimacy 
with  criminal  men — and  yet  so  successfully  had  he 
managed  his  fraudulent  transactions  that  but  for  the 
revelations  of  the  unsuspicious  boy  who  had  inno 
cently  served  him,  he  would  have  been  enabled  to 
place  upon  the  market  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  of  spurious  securities. 

As  it  was,  however,  his  scheme  was  detected,  and 


356  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

instead  of  a  successful  issue  of  his  fraudulent  efforts, 
he  found  himself  disgraced  and  humiliated  and 
branded  as  a  felon. 


A  CLEVER  FORGERY.      REMINISCENCES  OF 
EXPERT  FORGERS. 

ANOTHER  case  that  came  under  my  experience, 
demonstrates  fully  the  risks  which  large  corporations 
are  being  continually  exposed  to  by  the  intelligent 
criminal  and  the  expert  forger. 

During  the  month  of  January,  1877,  the  commercial 
circles  of  Wall  Street,  New  York  City,  were  startled 
by  the  announcement  of  a  heavy  forgery,  one  of 
several  that  had  been  successfully  operated  within  a 
very  short  time.  The  victims  of  this  transaction  were 
two  prominent  stock-brokers  and  the  Union  Trust 
Company  of  New  York,  with  whom  the  New  York 
Life  Insurance  Company  had  a  large  account.  The 
forgery  was  most  ingeniously  contrived,  and  the  per 
petrators,  whoever  they  were,  displayed  an  almost 
incredible  knowledge  of  the  inner  workings  of  the  two 
institutions  which  they  so  successfully  preyed  upon. 

The  facts  of  the  case,  as  far  as  could  be  learned, 
when  the  crime  was  first  discovered,  appeared  to  be 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  357 

as  follows.  The  check,  which  was  drawn  for  $64,000, 
was  elated  on  the  2nd  day  of  the  month,  although  the 
discovery  of  its  spurious  character  was  not  made 
until  the  i8th,  a  fact  which  operated  to  a  serious  ex 
tent  against  the  speedy  detection  of  the  forgers. 

On  the  day  of  its  date  the  check,  which  purported 
to  be  drawn  by  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com 
pany  for  $64,000  upon  the  Union  Trust  Company, 
was  presented  at  the  counter  of  the  latter  institution, 
for  a  certified  indorsement  of  its  worth  and  genuine- 

o 

ness.  It  was  printed  upon  one,  or  what  appeared  to 
be  one,  of  the  regular  checks  used  by  the  insurance 
company,  and  bore  the  signature  of  the  president  and 
other  officers  of  that  institution.  In  all  respects  the 
dangerous  little  piece  of  paper  appeared  to  be  gen 
uine,  and  the  cashier  of  the  bank  to  whom  it  was  pre 
sented  certified  it  without  a  moment's  hesitation. 

On  the  same  day,  a  Mr.  Horace  Brown,  a  petty 
broker  of  Wall  Street,  accompanied  by  a  gentlemanly 
appearing  stranger,  who  gave  his  name  as  Joseph 
Elliott,  called  upon  Mr.  George  L.  Maxwell,  whose 
office  was  in  close  proximity  to  the  Stock  Exchange 
of  New  York.  Mr.  Elliott  presented  a  letter,  which 
purported  to  be  signed  by  Mr.  Morris  Franklin,  the 
president  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Co., 
and  which  requested  Mr.  Maxwell  to  state  upon 
what  terms  he  would  act  as  the  broker  in  Wall 


358  FORGERS    AND    FORGING, 

Street  for  the  company  of  which  he  was  the  presi 
dent. 

Mr.  Elliott's  address  and  bearing  were  those  of  a 
gentleman,  and  in  the  extended  conversation  which 
took  place,  displayed  the  knowledge  of  an  experienced 
man  of  business. 

The  matter  was  fully  discussed,  and  Mr.  Maxwell 
requested  time  in  which  to  consider  the  question  of 
commission,  when  Mr.  Elliot  took  his  leave.  On 
the  following  day,  the  3d  of  January,  Mr.  Elliott 
again  appeared  in  the  office  of  Maxwell,  and  display 
ing  the  certified  check  for  $64,000,  requested  him  to 
purchase  $50,000  in  gold  on  account  of  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  Co. 

Mr.  Maxwell  undertook  the  commission,  and  intro 
ducing  Mr.  Elliott  to  another  gentleman  in  the  office, 
it  was  finally  arranged  that  the  gold  should  be  pur 
chased  at  once,  and  the  certified  check  was  left  with 
them  for  that  purpose.  On  the  5th  of  January  the 
entire  transaction  was  consummated,  the  gold  was 
purchased  and  delivered  to  Mr.  Elliott,  the  check  was 
duly  deposited  in  the  Mechanic's  Bank,  was  honored, 
and,  the  business  appearing  to  be  fully  and  pleasantly 
settled,  Mr.  Elliott  disappeared  from  the  view  of  his 
brokers. 

Nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  transaction  until 
the  1 6th  day  of  January,  when  the  account  of  the 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  359 

New  York  Life  Insurance  Co.  with  the  Union  Trust 
Co.  was  audited,  and  the  cashier  was  considerably 
surprised  to  find  returned  in  his  hand-book  two 
checks  of  the  same  date  and  number  although  for  dif 
ferent  amounts.  One  of  them  being  for  $150,000, 
aud  the  other  being  the  $64,000  check  already  al 
luded  to. 

The  cashier  had  no  recollection  whatever  of  hav 
ing  drawn  such  a  check,  and  his  investigations  re 
vealed  the  fact  that  it  was  not  entered  upon  the  stub 
of  the  check-book.  It  looked  wonderfully  real,  and 
the  signatures  of  the  officers  seemed  to  be  undoubt 
edly  genuine,  and  he  inquired  of  the  president  for  in 
formation  concerning  its  existence.  That  officer 
was  astounded  at  the  remarkable  imitation  of  his 
signature,  and  the  wonderful  similarity  which  the 
check  bore  to  the  regular  checks  issued  by  the  Com 
pany,  but  he  immediately  pronounced  it  a  forgery. 
j  An  exposure  at  once  followed,  and  measures  were 
immediately  adopted  to  discover  the  parties  who  had 
so  successfully  defrauded  the  bank.  The  loss  was, 
however,  reduced  somewhat  by  a  subsequent  discov 
ery  that  a  gold  check  for  $9,500  given  by  one  of  the 
brokers  from  whom  Maxwell  and  his  partner  had 
made  their  purchases  in  filling  their  order  for  Mr. 
Elliott,  had  not  yet  been  presented  for  payment,  and 


360  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

certainly  would  not  be.  now  that  the  original  forgery 
had  been  discovered. 

A  general  feeling  of  distrust  was  engendered  in 
consequence  of  this  discovery,  and  the  brokers  were 
placed  under  arrest.  For  a  time,  knowing  and  doubt 
ful  people  shrugged  their  shoulders  at  various  little 
matters  which  came  to  the  surface  at  the  commence 
ment  of  this  inquiry,  and  during  this  period  of  skepti 
cism,  the  officers  of  the  bank  and  other  prominent 
individuals  found  themselves  the  object  of  censure 
and  suspicion. 

It  has  often  seemed  strange  to  me  to  notice  the 
large  number  of  wiseacres  that  are  born  of  a  sudden 

o 

exposure  of  a  great  crime,  or  the  commission  of  some 
action  out  of  the  ordinary  routine,  whether  criminal 
or  honorable.  No  sooner  is  the  revelation  made 
than  suggestions  the  most  ridiculous  and  farcial  are 
made  with  solemn  visage  by  self-conscious  philoso 
phers,  who,  until  that  time,  had  remained  undiscov 
ered,  or  at  least  unnoticed.  I  do  not  think  I  am 
making  a  rash  assertion  when  I  say  that  popular 
clamor,  born  of  this  attempt  to  appear  wise,  has 
scarcely  ever  been  supported  by  subsequent  events. 
In  my  experience,  but  a  very  small  percentage  of 
cases  have  been  determined  according  to  the  proph 
ecies  of  those,  who  were  most  eager  to  give  advice, 
or  to  proffer  their  opinions.  Be  this  as  it  may,  how- 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  361 

ever,  the  number  of  these  "  knowing  ones  "  has  not 
decreased,  nor  has  their  stock  of  knowledge  been  ap 
parently  augmented.  This  case  was  no  exception  to 
the  rule,  and  had  these  governors  of  public  opinion 
.been  consulted  and  obeyed,  every  business  man  upon 
the  street  who  had  been  innocently  connected  with 
this  transaction  would  have  been  condemned  and  ex 
coriated.  Fortunately  for  the  good  of  society,  how 
ever,  there  is  a  strong  under-current  of  common  sense 
which  refuses  to  be  guided  by  irresponsible  clamor, 
and  which  awaits  the  determination  of  an  issue  before 
expressing  an  opinion  upon  its  merits. 

Mr.  Brown  stoutly  attested  his  innocence  of  any 
knowledge  of  the  forgery,  or  of  any  irregularity  in 
the  transaction  so  far  as  he  was  concerned.  His 
statement  was  that  a  Mr.  George  W.  Chadwick, 
whom  he  had  known  previously  in  a  business  way, 
called  upon  him  one  day  for  the  purpose  of  having 
him  dispose  of  some  horse  railroad  bonds,  which 
business  he  conducted  to  the  satisfaction  of  Mr. 
Chadwick.  A  short  time  after  this,  he  was  again 
visited  by  that  gentleman,  who  informed  him  that  a 
large  corporation  which  he  did  not  name,  was  con 
templating  a  change  in  some  of  their  securities,  and 
that  he  would  introduce  to  him  the  agent  of  the  cor 
poration  through  whom  the  business  was  to  be  trans 
acted.  In  a  few  days  after  this  interview,  Mr. 

16 


362  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

Chadwick  introduced  Mr.  Elliott  to  him,  at  which 
time  also  the  introduction  to  Mr.  Maxwell,  before 
related,  took  place. 

Notwithstanding  these  statements  Mr.  Brown  and 
Mr.  Maxwell  were  both  held  in  bonds  to  answer  any 
charge  that  might  hereafter  be  made  against  them. 
These  arrests  had  been  made  by  the  detectives  con 
nected  with  the  Police  Department  of  New  York 
City,  and  it  was  not  until  after  they  had  taken  place 
that  I  was  engaged  in  the  matter  at  all.  When  the 
investigation  had  reached  this  stage,  however,  my 
Agency  was  employed,  and  I  set  about  making  such 
inquiries,  as  in  my  mind,  would  lead  to  satisfactory 
and  convincing  results. 

Upon  undertaking  any  investigation,  no  matter 
how  trifling,  my  first  effort  is  to  get  down  to  the 
foundation  of  the  crime,  and  to  ascertain,  if  possible, 
a  motive  for  its  commission.  In  this  case,  therefore, 
there  must  be  a  foundation  ;  somebody  must  have 
forged  this  check  before  it  was  presented ;  somebody 
also  must  have  been  in  a  position  to  obtain  one  of 
the  checks  which  were  designed  to  be  forged,  and 
that  somebody  I  determined  it  should  be  my  first 
duty  to  discover. 

Mr.  George  H.  Bangs,  my  late  General  Super 
intendent,  therefore  paid  a  visit  to  the  office  of  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Co.,  and  requested  an 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  363 

interview  with  Mr.  Franklin,  the  president  of  that 
institution.  After  the  case  had  been  fully  stated, 
and  all  the  facts  thus  far  obtained  had  been  given, 
Mr.  Bangs  inquired  of  the  president  if  the  company 
were  in  the  habit  of  retaining  in  their  possession 
their  cancelled  checks  after  their  return  from  the 
bank. 

On  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  Mr.  Bangs 
requested  permission  to  examine  these  cancelled 
checks,  promising  to  explain  his  purposes  afterwards. 
The  request  was  complied  with,  and  the  numerous 
bundles  of  cancelled  checks  were  produced. 

It  may  be  imagined  that  an  institution  of  the 
magnitude  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com 
pany  necessarily  draw  a  great  many  checks  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  their  business,  and  Mr.  Bangs 
contemplated  the  portentous  piles  of  narrow  pieces 
of  paper  that  were  presented  for  his  inspection,  with 
serious  misgivings.  Undismayed,  however,  by  the 
magnitude  of  the  labor  before  him,  and  having 
learned  from  previous  experience,  how  important  is 
thoroughness  in  minute  details  to  eventual  success, 
he  began  the  laborious  task  of  examination.  One  by 
one  the  little  pieces  of  paper,  which  were  the  tattered 
representatives  of  such  vast  wealth,  were  taken  up 
and  critically  examined.  The  officers  of  the  com 
pany  looked  on  with  faces  in  which  speculation  and 


364  FORGERS     AND    FORGING. 

wonderment  were  mingled,  but  finally,  as  the  labor 
extended  into  hours,  they  left  him  alone  to  his  task. 

At  last,  after  hundreds  of  these  checks  had  passed 
through  his  hands,  and  under  his  close  inspection, 
each  one  in  turn  being  critically  compared  with  the 
forged  check,  he  gave  a  start  of  exultation  and 
exclaimed  joyously  : 

11 1  have  it  beyond  a  doubt !" 

So  engrossed  was  he  by  his  occupation,  that  he 
was  unaware  of  the  fact  of  his  being  alone,  and  that 
those  whom  he  addressed  had  disappeared.  Ringing 
a  bell  which  lay  near  at  hand,  he  requested  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  officers  of  the  company,  and  upon 
their  arrival  he  placed  the  check  he  had  found,  in 
the  hands  of  Mr.  Franklin,  saying : 

"  This,  sir,  without  a  doubt,  is  the  check  from 
which  the  forgery  was  made." 

Mr.  Franklin  gazed  at  the  paper  in  surprise;  it 
was  a  check  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol 
lars,  and  had  been  issued  some  weeks  before  the 
forgery. 

"  How  can  it  be  that  this  check  could  have  been 
used  by  the  forgers,  and  again  find  its  way  into  the 
possession  of  the  company  ?''  asked  Mr.  Franklin,  in 
credulously. 

"  It  certainly  has  done  so,"  answered  Mr.  Bangs, 
"and  how  I  will  explain  hereafter — but — now  let  me 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  365 

show  you  how  I  am  convinced  of  the  fact  which  I  as 
sert." 

"In  the  first  place,"  he  continued,  "  I  take  it  for 
granted  that  checks  for  large  amounts  are  rarely,  if 
ever,  folded  by  anyone  who  does  your  banking  busi 
ness,  but  are  carried  in  a  flat  book  or  wallet  for  certi 
fication  or  payment." 

"  That  is  quite  true,"  said  Mr.  Franklin. 

"Very  well.  Now  if  you  will  observe  this  check, 
you  will  notice  that  it  has  not  only  been  folded,  but 
it  has  been  soiled  very  much,  as  though  it  had  been 
carried  in  the  pocket.  You  will  also  observe  that 
the  cancellation  stamp  or  knife,  has  penetrated 
through  this  check,  leaving  several  sharp  angular 
corners.  Now  if  you  will  observe,  one  of  these 
corners  extends  over  one  of  the  folds  and  is  per 
fectly  flat."  And  he  folded  the  check  to  demonstrate 
the  fact.  "  What  does  this  prove  ?"  he  asked. 
"  Simply  that  the  check  was  folded  after  it  had  been 
cancelled  by  the  bank,  and  after  it  had  been  returned 
to  you.  The  further  fact  is  that  this  check  was  ab 
stracted  by  some  one  connected  with  your  company, 
and  has  been  carefully  replaced  in  its  proper  place  in 
the  package,  after  it  had  served  the  purpose  of  the 
formers." 

o 

"  Permit   me  to  ask  you   one  question,"   said  the 
cashier  of  the  company,  now  speaking  for  the  first 


366  FOKGERS    AND    FORGING. 

time  ;  "  admitting  all  that  you  have  previously  stated 
to  be  correct,  what  proof  exists  that  the  forged 
check  was  really  made  from  this  identical  one  ?" 

"  I  am  prepared  to  explain  that  point,  and  a  most 
important  one  it  is,  too,"  said  Mr.  Bangs,  "and  will 
do  so  fully." 

Walking  to  the  window  of  the  room  and  taking 
the  genuine  and  the  forged  check  with  him,  he  placed 
them  both  together,  one  upon  the  top  of  the  other, 
against  the  glass,  and  requested  the  two  gentlemen 
to  come  forward  and  examine  them. 

As  they  did  so  an  exclamation  of  surprise  broke 
from  them  both.  The  two  signatures  of  the  officers 
were  not  only  exactly  alike,  but  they  were  in  pre 
cisely  similar  positions  on  the  paper  in  both  instances. 
Nor  was  this  the  only  strange  coincidence,  but  it  was 
also  apparent  that  in  the  genuine  check,  a  roughness 
or  imperfection  in  the  paper  had  caused  the  signature 
of  the  president  to  deviate  from  its  proper  line,  and 
to  show  a  slight  irregularity  in  the  formation  of  some 
of  the  letters.  This  irregularity  had  been  faithfully 
followed  in  the  forged  check,  although  the  paper  in 
that  document  was  perfectly  smooth  and  free  from 
blemish. 

"  You  will  see,"  said  Mr.  Bangs,  still  holding  the 
two  checks  against  the  glass,  "  that  there  is  un 
doubted  evidence  that  one  check  has  been  traced 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  367 

from  the  other,  and  is  not  what  is  called  a  free  hand 
jorgery." 

Both  of  the  officers  were  convinced  at  once  of  the 
correctness  of  this  assertion,  and  expressed  them 
selves  fully  satisfied  of  the  facts  thus  far  adduced. 

"  Now,"  said  Mr.  Bangs,  "  our  first  duty  is  to  find 
the  clerk  who  abstracted  this  check." 

To  this  task  Mr.  Bangs  applied  himself  in  a  quiet 
and  unsuspicious  manner,  and  before  the  day  had 
closed  he  was  positive  that  he  had  selected  the  clerk 
upon  whom  to  fasten  suspicion.  His  first  question 
was  :  "  Who  draws  your  checks,  as  a  general  rule  ?" 

"  They  are  invariably  drawn  by  my  special  clerk," 
replied  the  cashier. 

"  Does  he  leave  his  check-book  open  upon  his 
desk  at  any  time?" 

"Yes,  sir;  frequently." 

"  Who  then  has  occasion  to  transact  business  with 
him,  who  might  thus  be  able  to  see  the  book  ?" 

"  Well,  there  are  three  clerks  who  frequently  have 
business  with  this  man,  and  who  would  thus  have 
ample  opportunity  to  inspect  the  books." 

"  And  by  that  means,"  said  Mr.  Bangs,  "  they 
would  of  course  be  able  to  know  what  numbers 
would  be  upon  the  checks  at  any  particular  time  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  undoubtedly,"  replied  the  cashier  with 
a  start,  as  a  new  revelation  was  opened  to  him. 


368  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

These  three  clerks  were  therefore  made  the  sub 
ject  of  a  quiet  scrutiny  by  Mr.  Bangs,  and  after  he 
had  finished  his  examination  he  pointed  out  one  of 
them  as  the  man  who  had  abstracted  the  check,  and 
before  he  left  the  office  he  stated  to  Mr.  Franklin  in 
an  emphatic  manner: 

"  That  young  clerk,  Charles  W.  Pontez,  is  the 
man  who  stole  the  check,  and  I  will  prove  it  so  in 
time." 

The  astonishment  of  the  two  gentlemen  at  this 
statement  was  unbounded,  but  as  they  had  placed 
the  case  in  our  hands,  and  had  already  received  in 
dubitable  evidence  that  the  forgers,  whoever  they 
were,  had  received  assistance  from  some  one  in  their 
employ,  they  signified  their  willingness  to  allow  us  to 
proceed  in  our  own  way. 

The  name  of  Charles  W.  Pontez  was  a  familiar 
one  to  me,  and  his  antecedents  were  readily  recalled. 
Ten  years  before  this  time,  he  was  a  junior  clerk  in 
the  office  of  the  Union  Transportation  Company,  and 
though  a  very  young  man  gave  promise  of  becoming 
an  active  and  trustworthy  accountant.  The  secre 
tary  of  the  company  was  Joseph  W.  Chapman,  who 
has  since  figured  in  many  daring  schemes  of  robbery 
aid  forgery.  At  that  time,  however,  he  was  a  highly 
respectable  man,  moved  in  the  best  circles  of  the  city, 
and  was  married  to  a  very  handsome  and  accom- 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  369 

plished  lady,  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  merchant. 
By  a  life  of  extravagance,  he  soon  became  involved 
in  debt,  and  yielding  at  last,  to  the  influence  of  evil 
associates  he  became  connected  with  a  gang  of  bur 
glars  and  forgers  of  the  genteel  order.  These  men 
had  their  headquarters  in  a  billiard  saloon,  located 
under  Brooks'  Theater,  and  kept  by  a  man  who  was 
known  as  Howard  Adams,  but  whose  real  name  was 
afterwards  ascertained  to  be  Carlo  Justin  Susscovitch, 
a  Russian,  and  one  who  at  various  times  had  assumed 
other  aliases  to  conceal  his  identity. 

Even  at  that  time  Adams,  or  Susscovitch,  was 
one  of  the  sharpest  and  most  accomplished  forgers 
in  the  country,  and  it  was  through  his  influence,  that 
Chapman,  who  frequented  his  saloon,  was  made 
acquainted  with  the  members  of  the  fraternity  with 
whom  he  afterwards  became  associated.  Among  the 
number  was  Mark  Shinburn,  a  noted  burglar,  who  is 
now  living  in  the  luxurious  enjoyment  of  his  ill-gotten 
gains,  and  having  purchased  a  German  title  of  no 
bility,  is  now  known  as  Baron  Shindle.  Shinburn,  at 
that  time,  had  succeeded  in  robbing  the  Lehigh  Coal 
and  Navigation  Company  at  White  Haven,  in  Penn 
sylvania,  of  a  large  amount  of  money  and  valuables, 
among  which  were  certain  negotiable  securities.  As 
Chapman  was  perfectly  conversant  with  the  banking 
and  broking  business,  and  possessed  a  reputable 

16* 


370  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

character,  he  was  deemed  an  available  party  to  dis 
pose  of  these  securities,  and  after  a  slight  demur, 
he  agreed  to  do  so.  Without  the  slightest  difficulty, 
owing  to  his  high  standing  in  the  community,  he 
succeeded  in  disposing  of  several  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  these  securities  by  depositing  them  as  col 
lateral  for  loans  which  he  effected.  It  unfortunately 
happened  that  some  of  these  White  Haven  bonds 
were  widely  advertised  as  stolen,  and,  much  to  the 
surprise  and  humiliation  of  Chapman,  he  was  arrested 
as  being  concerned  in  that  robbery. 

Of  course  with  his  arrest  Chapman's  position  of 
trust  was  vacated,  and  his  character  for  honesty  for 
ever  shaken.  At  his  trial,  however,  his  previous  good 
name  and  business  reputation,  were  duly  considered 
by  the  court,  and  upon  his  giving  a  plausible  account 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  securities  came  into  his 
possession,  and  surrendering  all  that  he  still  held,  he 
escaped  the  clutches  of  the  law. 

His  social  downfall  was  complete,  however,  and 
yielding  to  the  temptations  of  the  men  who  surrounded 
him,  and  being  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  he 
entered  with  a  number  of  others  into  a  systematic 
scheme  of  forgery.  Chapman,  shortly  after  this, 
induced  a  poor  young  man  named  Joseph  Randall, 
who  was  then  under  twenty  years  of  age,  and  of 
unblemished  reputation,  to  join  with  them.  Randall 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  371 

was  a  valuable  acquisition  to  this  gang,  having  been 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  prominent  banking  house,  and 
was  considered  by  his  employers  to  be  extraordinarily 
sharp  and  shrewd.  To  these  parties  Chapman  also 
introduced  his  junior  clerk,  Charles  W.  Pontez,  but 
although  this  young  man  was  frequently  seen  in  their 
company  afterward,  it  was  not  known  that  he  had 
ever  engaged  with  them  in  any  of  their  dishonest 
operations.  The  first  attempt  which  these  men, 
Chapman,  Randall,  Adams,  Charles  Becker  and  "  old 
man  "  Hearing,  as  he  was  familarily  called,  made,  was 
in  forging  a  check  fora  large  amount  upon  one  of  the 
principal  banks  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  so  skill 
fully  was  their  work  executed  that  they  escaped 
detection  and  in  fact  suspicion. 

After  this,  emboldened  by  their  primary  success, 
they  pursued  their  vocation  in  Baltimore,  Richmond, 
Memphis,  Vicksburg,  New  Orleans,  and  several  other 
cities  in  the  South.  Not  with  the  same  success,  how 
ever,  for  at  New  Orleans  they  were  discovered  and 
pursued  so  closely,  that  they  were  obliged  to  flee  the 
country,  taking  with  them  a  large  sum  of  money. 

They  went  to  Central  America,  where  they  speedily 
dissipated  their  funds,  and  then  they  resorted  to 
other  forgeries  there.  They  were  not  successful,  and 
were  arrested,  but  they  all  managed  to  escape  from 
the  insecure  jail  in  which  they  were  confined.  They 


372  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

then  returned  to  the  United  States,  but  so  changed  in 
appearance  that  they  were  not  recognized. 

Chapman  and  Randall  were  suspected  of  robbing 
the  Third  National  Bank  of  Baltimore,  which  occurred 
soon  after  this,  and  they  fled  to  Europe,  where  they 
met  Charles  Becker  and  Howard  Adams,  who  had 
been  obliged  to  leave  America  to  escape  punishment. 

In  London,  Chapman  and  his  wife  rented  a  hand 
some  house  on  the  Neville  road,  which  they  furnished 
in  a  luxurious  manner  and  entertained  their  friends 
sumptuously.  The  four  men  then  started  on  a  grand 
tour  of  forgery  through  the  continent.  In  Turkey 
they  attempted  to  forge  the  bonds  issued  by  that 
government,  but  so  hastily  and  clumsily  that  they 
were  detected,  and  after  a  trial  were  sentenced  to 
several  years'  imprisonment.  They  were  confined 
in  the  consular  prison  at  Smyrna,  and  after  a  short 
imprisonment,  Randall  and  Becker  managed  to 
escape,  and  by  slow  stages  worked  their  way  back 
again  to  London  with  a  considerable  sum  of  money. 

Mrs.  Chapman,  hearing  of  the  ingratitude  of 
Randall  and  Becker,  in  leaving  her  husband  in  jail, 
wrote  a  letter  to  Charles  W.  Pontez,  whom  she  had 
known  for  many  years,  and  who  still  resided  in  New 
York.  In  this  letter  she  requested  Pontez  to  visit 
several  friends  of  her  husband,  among  the  crooked 
ftraternity,  and  solicit  their  aid  in  behalf  of  both  her- 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  373 

self  and  her  husband.  Pontez  performed  the  duty 
requested  of  him,  but  found  that  none  of  them  were 
in  a  condition  to  render  any  assistance  in  effecting 
the  liberation  of  her  husband. 

Meanwhile  Adams,  or  Susscovitch,  had  made  his 
way  to  London,  and  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the 
house  of  Mrs.  Chapman.  When  he  learned  that  no 
money  was  to  be  received  from  America,  and  know 
ing  that  Mrs.  Chapman  had  some  in  her  possession, 
he  deliberately  murdered  the  lady,  and  seizing  her 
money  and  jewelry  disappeared.  This  brutal  and 
cowardly  deed  created  great  excitement  in  England, 
at  the  time,  and  among  the  effects  of  the  unfortunate 
woman  was  found  and  published,  this  letter  from 
Charles  W.  Pontez. 

Susscovitch  is  now  in  jail  in  Ohio  for  forgery,  and 
when  his  term  expires,  he  will  be  sent  back  to  Eng 
land  to  answer  for  the  murder  of  Mrs.  Chapman, 
the  discovery  of  his  commission  of  that  deed  not 
having  been  made  until  he  had  been  tried  for  the  for 
gery  in  this  country 

From  these  facts  it  will  be  seen  that  Charles  W. 
Pontez,  the  correspondent  of  Mrs.  Chapman,  and  the 
associate  of  the  gang  of  forgers,  and  Charles  W.  Pon 
tez,  the  clerk  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com 
pany,  were  one  and  the  same  person.  I  was  there- 


374  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

fore  inclined  to  believe  that  we  were  upon  the  track 
of  the  right  parties. 

From  the  clerk  of  the  cashier  of  the  insurance 
company,  whose  duty  it  was  to  draw  the  checks  for 
the  institution,  it  was  learned  recently  Pontez  had 
managed  to  have  some  business  with  him  at  the 
particular  times  when  he  would  be  engaged  in  filling 
up  checks ;  that  this  had  occurred  frequently,  and 
that  he  had  conversed  at  these  times  longer  than 
there  was  any  business  necessity  for  doing.  No  im 
portance  had  been  attached  to  this  action  at  the  time, 
but  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  they  were  con 
sidered  suggestive,  and  having  learned  thus  much  of 
the  actions  and  previous  associations  of  Charles  W. 
Pontez,  we  were  enabled  to  proceed  with  our  investi 
gation  intelligently  and  with  strong  hopes  of  success. 

The  preliminary  investigations  of  Horace  Brown 
and  George  L.  Maxwell  were  now  concluded,  and 
without  reflecting  upon  their  business  honor  they 
were  placed  under  bonds  to  appear  whenever  re 
quired.  This  action  quieted  the  public  mind  some 
what,  and  we  were  enabled  to  devote  our  attention  to 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Pontez.  Every  movement  he  made, 
when  at  all  observable,  was  closely  watched  by  trusty 
men,  who  followed  him  by  day  and  by  night  without 
his  knowledge.  He  was  found  to  frequent  drinking 
saloons,  visit  the  theaters,  to  live  in  good  style,  but 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  375 

none  of  his  associates  seemed  to  be  of  a  character  to 
excite  suspicion.  At  length,  one  evening  an  opera 
tive  reported  to  my  son,  Robert  Pinkerton,  that 
Pontez  had  gone  to  the  theater  with  a  gentleman  and 
lady,  and  that  the  face  of  the  man  appeared  to  be 
familiar  to  him,  but  he  could  not  identify  him  with 
any  degree  of  certainty.  Eager  to  follow  any  clew 
that  would  lead  to  success,  Robert  at  once  repaired 
to  the  place  of  amusement  designated,  and  closely 
scanned  the  entire  audience,  to  discover  the  parties 
he  was  in  search  of.  He  soon  singled  out  Pontez 
and  his  companions,  and  despite  their  changed  appear 
ances,  he  recognized  them  as  Joseph  Randall,  the 
accomplice  of  Chapman,  and  his  wife,  a  variety 
actress  of  great  beauty  and  accomplishments,  whom 
he  had  brought  from  Europe  some  time  ago.  This 
pointed  strongly  to  the  conclusion  that  the  same 
gang  who  had  so  successfully  defrauded  the  capital 
ists  of  almost  every  country  in  Europe,  and  section 
of  the  United  States,  were  now  at  work. 

Operatives  were  at  once  placed  upon  the  track  of 
Randall,  when  he  left  the  theater.  And  when  the 
play  was  over,  the  shadows  followed  silently  after 
the  trio.  Charles  W.  Pontez  had  now  been  connect 
ed  with  a  noted  forger,  many  of  whose  deeds  were 
known,  and  this  forger  the  companion  of  the  man 


37^  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

whose  wife  had  written  to  him  asking  his  services  in 
her  behalf. 

By  a  process  slow  and  untiring,  starting  from  this 
point  the  coils  were  slowly  wound  around  these  men. 
Night  and  day  their  steps  were  followed  by  silent, 
haunting  figures  ;  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  from  that 
night  at  the  theater,  Charles  W.  Pontez  and  Joseph 
Randall  did  not  meet  again.  Knowing  fully,  how 
ever,  the  antecedents  of  Randall,  and  believing  that 
in  this  forgery  we  had  discovered  unmistakable  evi 
dences  of  his  handiwork,  my  vigilance  never  relaxed 
for  a  moment,  and  every  movemet  he  made  was 
known  as  fully  by  me,  as  by  himself. 

This  espionage  was  continued  for  two  weeks  un 
remittingly,  and  was  at  length  rewarded.  One 
night,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  Febru 
ary,  a  cold,  stormy  night,  when  the  sky  was  dull  and 
heavy,  and  the  white,  feathery  flakes  of  snow  fell 
noiselessly  to  the  earth ;  when  the  wind  howled 
through  the  princely  avenues  of  the  great  city,  and 
the  gaslights  glimmered  through  the  mists  like  rows 
of  stars,  the  detective  stood  under  the  shelter  of  a 
doorway,  and  shiveringly  watched  the  residence  of 
Joseph  Randall. 

Soon  that  individual  made  his  appearance,  fully 
muffled  up  and  protected  from  the  storm,  and  mak 
ing  his  way  hastily  to  Broadway,  he  hailed  a  passing 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  377 

omnibus,  and  entered,  followed  at  the  next  corner, 
by  the  detective  who  had  ran  on  in  advance  of  the 
vehicle,  in  order  not  to  excite  suspicion.  Reaching 
one  of  the  streets  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  that 
led  to  the  ferries,  Randall  left  the  coach  and  the  de 
tective  followed  suit. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  Courtlandt  St.  Ferry, 
the  passengers  were  just  emerging  from  the  ferry 
house,  having  crossed  from  Jersey  City,  where  the 
railroads  deliver  their  passengers.  Presently  Randall 
darted  forward,  and  grasped  by  the  hand  one  of  the 
arriving  passengers,  and  as  the  stranger  raised  his 
face  toward  the  light,  the  detective  saw  revealed  to 
him  the  features  of  Charles  Becker,  another  one  of 
the  noted  quartette  of  forgers,  whose  history  I  have 
already  given.  The  two  men  returned  to  the  home 
of  Randall,  and  after  assuring  himself  that  they 
were  domiciled  for  the  night,  the  detective  took  his 
departure  and  reported  at  the  Agency. 

Additional  operatives  were  now  detailed  to  watch 
the  various  parties,  now  under  surveillance,  and  to 
note  every  movement  they  made.  It  soon  became 
evident  that  some  new  movement  was  afloat.  All 
of  the  parties  made  frequent  visits  to  a  house  in 
Allen  Street,  in  New  York  City,  the  names  of  the 
inmates  of  which  could  not  be  ascertained  by  the 
most  diligent  inquiries  in  the  neighborhood ;  they 


378  PORGRRS    AND    FORGING. 

were  strangers  and  unknown.  There  could  be  no 
doubt,  however,  that  this  house  was  the  general  ren 
dezvous  of  the  forgers,  and  that  it  was  at  this  place 
that  their  work  was  being  done.  Events  fully  proved 
this,  and  one  dark  cloudy  night  about  ten  days  after 
the  arrival  of  Charles  Becker,  and  after  all  of  the 
parties  had  arrived  at  the  house,  an  expressman 
drove  up  to  the  door  with  his  wagon.  Quickly  after 
wards  three  men  appeared  carrying  a  large  bundle, 
which  resembled  bedding,  and  placed  it  carefully  in 
the  wagon.  Just  as  they  had  accomplished  this  feat, 
three  detectives  advanced  through  the  darkness,  and 
laying  their  hands  upon  the  men,  demanded  their  sur 
render,  at  the  same  time  directing  the  driver  of  the 
wagon  to  remain  where  he  was. 

This  action  had  been  so  sudden,  and  evidently  so 
unexpected,  that  for  a  moment,  the  three  stood  as  if 
rooted  to  the  spot  and  unable  to  stir,  or  to  speak, 
and  they  were  finally  conducted  away  without  oppo 
sition  or  resistance,  the  expressman  following  with 
his  wagon. 

A  search  of  the  house  was  made,  and  here  they 
discovered  undoubted  evidence  that  the  place  had 
been  occupied  for  the  purposes  of  counterfeiting  and 
forging.  Lithographic  stones,  metallic  dies,  prints  of 
bank-notes,  checks,  and  skeleton  bonds  of  various 
corporations  were  found  in  profusion,  including  sev- 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  379 

eral  spoiled  proof-sheets  of  the  forged  check  of  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Company. 

Becker  and  Randall  were  fully  known  to  us,  but 
the  third  man  had  not  been  recognized  by  the  opera 
tives  who  made  the  arrest.  All  doubts,  however, 
were  set  at  rest,  when  on  being  conveyed  to  the  cen 
tral  station,  the  light  revealed  the  ancient  features  of 
" old  man"  Hearing — the  printer  of  the  old  gang, 
in  which  Chapman  and  Adams  figured  so  promi 
nently. 

The  contents  of  the  wagon  were  next  examined, 
and  tightly  packed  between  the  bedding  were  found 
all  the  parts  of  a  lithographic  press,  which  no  doubt 
were  about  to  be  removed  to  a  more  secure  locality. 

This  furnished  full  proof  of  the  guilt  of  these  parties, 
and  Charles  W.  Pontez  was  arrested  on  the  following 
morning,  very  much  to  his  surprise,  and  the  quartette 
were  duly  held  for  an  examination. 

The  trial  of  these  men  took  place  in  due  time  and 
from  the  testimony  adduced  thereat,  the  whole  plan 
of  the  forgery  was  detailed.  Charles  W.  Pontez  who, 
it  was  ascertained,  had  acted  as  groomsman  for  Joseph 
Randall,  upon  the  occasion  of  his  marriage,  had  stolen, 
as  we  suspected,  the  check  from  the  vaults  of  the 
Insurance  Company,  where  he  was  employed  as  a 
clerk,  and  had  given  the  same  to  Randall.  Randall 
then  went  to  Becker — who  was  a  son-in-law  of  "old 


380  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

man  "  Hearing — who  engraved  the  imitations  of  the 
check,  and  Hearing  did  the  printing.  After  this  had 
been  done  the  tracing  of  the  signatures  and  the  filling 
up  of  the  check  was  done  by  Randall,  who  also  per 
sonated  the  Mr.  Elliott,  who  managed  the  business  of 
imposing  upon  the  brokers  and  obtained  the  money. 
During  the  progress  of  the  trial,  which  was  con 
tinued  for  several  days,  the  prisoners  were  brought 
back  and  forth  from  the  jail  to  the  court  room,  by  the 
officers  of  the  court,  and  Randall,  who  was  of  a  genial 
and  jovial  disposition,  soon  became  quite  intimate  with 
the  officer  in  whose  charge  he  was  placed,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  vigilance  of  his  custodian  was  con 
siderably  relaxed.  One  day,  just  as  the  court  had 
adjourned  for  recess,  this  officer  turned  around  to  take 
care  of  his  prisoner,  when  to  his  profound  dismay,  he 
discovered  that  he  had  disappeared.  The  alarm  was 
given,  but  the  most  energetic  efforts  failed  to  discover 
his  whereabouts,  and  he  had  successfully  made  his 
escape,  literally  walking  out  of  court,  under  the  very 
eyes  of  the  officer  whose  duty  it  was  to  keep  watch 
over  him.  Fortunately,  for  the  cause  of  justice,  he 
was  recaptured  by  me — but  had  the  previous  espion 
age  of  Joseph  Randall  been  less  thorough,  and  had 
not  every  one  with  whom  he  had  associated,  been 
fully  known,  he  might  have  obtained  his  liberty.  As 
it  was,  so  thoroughly  had  our  work  of  shadowing  been 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  381 

conducted  in  advance  of  the  arrest  of  these  parties, 
that  by  continuing  that  system  of  watching  upon  all 
of  his  associates,  we  were  soon  upon  his  track  and  he 
was  again  brought  to  bay. 

The  next  time  he  appeared  for  trial,  he  did  not 
escape,  and  the  three  principal  forgers,  Joseph  Ran 
dall,  Charles  Becker,  and  "  old  man  "  Hearing,  were 
duly  convicted  of  their  crime,  and  condemned  to  long 
years  of  imprisonment. 

Charles  W.  Pontez  was  suffering  with  a  severe 
illness  when  the  trial  of  his  companions  took  place, 
and  the  investigation  in  his  case  was  postponed.  He 
was  never  brought  to  trial  as  his  malady  soon  devel 
oped  serious  symptoms,  and  he  finally  died  in  his 
prison  cell,  before  the  judgment  of  the  court  could 
be  pronounced  upon  him. 


THE   KING  OF    FORGERS. 

CHARLES  I.  BROCKWAY  is  another  of  the  famous 
names  in  the  calendar  of  criminal  practices,  and  with 
whom  I  have  had  dealings  on  more  than  one  occa 
sion.  This  forger  and  counterfeiter  is  now  about 
forty  years  of  age,  and  exceedingly  handsome  in 
appearance.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  the  City  of 


382  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

New  York,  and  except  when  undergoing  imprison 
ment,  has  made  his  home  in  that  city.  Soon  after 
the  war  had  closed,  Brockaway  opened  a  faro  bank  in 
New  York  City,  and  was  an  extensive  dealer  in 
counterfeit  money.  From  this  he  gradually  became 
an  adept  in  the  forging  aud  counterfeiting  line,  and 
for  nearly  twenty  years  led  the  vicarious  life  of  one, 
who  outrages  the  laws  and  suffers  its  penalties. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  last  arrest,  I  played  a 
somewhat  prominent  part,  and  will  relate  that  portion 
of  his  experience  in  this  connection. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  my  sketch  of 
Charles  F.  Ulrich,  I  stated  that  he  was  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  engravers  who  had  been  found  willing 
to  prostitute  his  talents  to  counterfeiting,  which  this 
country  had  produced.  He  was  a  man  capable  of 
imitating  a  complete  Treasury  note  without  any 
outside  aid  whatever,  and  this  is  something  few 
mechanical  engravers  are  able  to  effectually  accom 
plish.  The  details  of  his  career,  his  later  arrest  and 
his  release  during  good  behavior  have  already  been 
related.  Since  that  time  Ulrich  has  resided  at  Tren 
ton,  N.  J.,  and  so  far  as  known  has  confined  himself 
to  honest  employment.  In  July,  1880,  I  received  a 
communication  from  a  member  of  a  prominent  law 
firm  in  Trenton,  stating  that  Charles  F.  Ulrich  was 
endeavoring  to  lead  an  honest  life,  but  that  he  was 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  383 

being-  continually  annoyed  by  numerous  crooked 
people  who  from  time  to  time  sought  his  services. 
Among  the  most  persistent  of  these  was  Charles  I. 
Brockway.  According  to  the  letter  I  received, 
Brockway  was  hounding  the  reformed  man  to  per 
form  some  counterfeiting  work  for  him,  and  offering 
to  pay  him  10  per  cent,  of  all  moneys  obtained,  in 
addition  to  a  large  remuneration  for  his  labor  in  cash. 
The  letter  further  stated  that  Ulrich  was  extremely 
desirous  of  ridding  himself  forever  of  these  rascals, 
and  the  suggestion  was  made  that  some  plan  be 
devised  by  which.  Brockway,  at  least,  might  be  cap 
tured  and  punished.  A  short  time  previous  to  the 
receipt  of  this  letter,  I  had  heard  that  Ulrich  and 
Brockway  were  again  working  together,  but  when 
this  later  information  was  received,  I  at  once  became 
doubtful  of  the  correctness  of  my  previous  impres 
sions.  With  the  view  of  ascertaining  the  truth  in 
this  matter,  and  in  order  to  serve  the  community, 
which  has  always  been  my  aim,  I  wrote  a  reply 
expressing  my  willingness  to  take  the  case  in  hand, 
provided  Ulrich  was  really  in  earnest. 

I  demanded,  however,  Ulrich  that  should  place 
himself  entirely  in  my  hands,  in  order  that  I  might 
fully  satisfy  myself  as  to  the  genuineness  of  his  desire 
to  serve  the  interests  of  justice.  Mr.  Linden,  the  able 
superintendent  of  my  Philadelphia  office,  was  dele- 


384  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

gated  by  me  to  conduct  this  case,  and  the  arrange 
ments  were  left  entirely  to  his  own  discretion  and  in 
telligence. 

In  compliance  with  a  request  made  by  Mr.  Lin 
den,  Ulrich  came  to  Philadelphia  and  exhibited  two 
checks  which  he  stated  that  Brockway  had  given  him 
to  counterfeit.  One  of  these  was  on  the  old  National 
Bank  of  Providence,  and  was  regularly  drawn  by 
Henry  E.  Cranston  to  the  order  of  C.  L.  Parker  for 
one  hundred  and  nine  dollars.  The  other  was  on  the 
Fourth  National  Bank  of  the  same  city,  and  was  for 
an  exactly  similar  amount.  This  check  was  payable 
to  E.  L.  Parker  and  was  signed  by  Chase,  Watson 
&  Butts.  The  drawers  of  these  checks  were  promi 
nent  business  firms  in  Providence,  and  were  known  to 
be  large  depositors  in  the  banks  on  which  the  checks 
were  drawn.  Charles  Ulrich  stated  that  Brockway 
was  exceedingly  anxious  to  have  the  counterfeits 
finished  in  three  days.  As  this  allowed  but  little  time 
in  which  to  perfect  arrangements  for  a  complete  sur 
prise  and  capture  of  the  forger,  Ulrich  was  directed  to 
obtain  a  delay  from  Brockway  on  the  plea  of  his  in 
ability  to  finish  them  properly  in  the  prescribed  time. 
To  this  Ulrich  yielded  a  ready  assent,  and  also  prom 
ised  to  notify  Mr.  Linden  whenever  Brockway  should 
call  upon  him.  This  delay  afforded  us  full  opportu 
nity  of  communicating  with  the  threatened  Providence 


FO£G££S    AND     FORGING.  385 

banks,  and  also  of  obtaining  the  full  particulars,  with 
regard  to  the  obtaining  of  the  two  genuine  checks 
which  had  been  given  Ulrich  to  imitate. 

It  was  soon  learned  that  these  two  checks  had 
been  procured  from  prominent  stock-brokerage  firms 
in  Providence,  as  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  to  each  of 
them  of  a  one-hundred-dollar  Government  four-per 
cent,  bond.  The  sellers  in  each  case  had  asked  for 
checks  to  be  given  them,  on  the  plea  that  they  desired 
to  send  them  into  the  country.  The  banks  were 
communicated  with,  and  a  reply  was  quickly  received, 
stating  their  desire  and  determination  to  prosecute 
the  intending  forgers  and  requesting  Mr.  Linden  to 
send  an  operative  to  Providence,  who  knew,  and  could 
identify  the  rascals.  The  Trenton  attorneys  were 
also  informed  of  what  had  taken  place,  and  taken 
fully  into  our  confidence  in  the  matter.  It  was  sug 
gested  by  these  gentlemen,  that  the  best  plan  would 
be  to  arrest  Brockway  when  he  call  at  Ulrich's  resi 
dence,  and  receive  the  counterfeit  checks,  but  as  I 
knew  that  the  mere  engraving  and  printing  of  a  check- 
blank  which  was  not  filled  in  or  signed,  was  not  an 
offense  under  the  law,  I  resolved  to  give  Brockway 
all  the  rope  he  desired,  particularly  as  the  trap  into 
which  he  was  about  to  fall  was  entirely  of  his  own 
designing. 

Ulrich  was  therefore  instructed  to  so  mark  the 
17 


386  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

counterfeit  blanks,  that,  while  Brockway  would  not 
recognize  any  difference  in  them,  the  bank  tellers, 
after  being  fully  instructed,  would  be  able  to  detect 
at  a  glance,  any  of  them  that  might  be  presented  for 
payment.  This  was  accomplished  by  lengthening  the 
lines  in  the  border,  where  they  met  at  the  upper 
right-hand  corner,  so  that  instead  of  joining  exactly, 
as  in  the  originals,  they  projected  to  the  slightest  de 
gree,  and  by  altering  the  names  of  the  original  en 
gravers  at  the  bottom,  from  "  Bugbee  and  Kelly  "  to 
"  Rugbee  and  Kally."  This  change  could  only  be 
detected  upon  a  very  close  examination. 

Brockway,  all  unsuspicious  of  the  danger  that  was 
threatening  him,  called  upon  Ulrich  at  the  time  pre 
scribed,  and  received  a  number  of  the  printed  blanks. 
The  next  day  he  called  again  and  desired  more,  stat 
ing  that  he  had  spoiled  all  the  others.  These  also 
were  given  to  him.  It  was  naturally  supposed,  there 
fore,  that  the  following  day,  being  Friday,  was  the 
day  selected  for  the  commission  of  the  crime,  and  a 
trusty  operative  was  therefore  sent  to  Providence  to 
look  out  for  Brockway.  The  assistance  of  the  chief 
of  police  of  that  city  was  invoked,  and  an  intelligent 
detective  was  detailed  to  assist  us  in  the  enterprise. 
Two  other  local  detectives  were  stationed,  one  in 
each  bank,  with  instructions  to  arrest  the  "  layer 
down  "  as  the  presenter  of  a  forged  check  is  called,  as 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  387 

soon  as  he  should  appear,  and  to  take  him  at  once  into 
a  back  room,  in  order  not  to  give  the  alarm  to  any 
confederate  who  might  be  outside  on  the  watch.  My 
operative  was  then  to  be  communicated  with  immedi 
ately,  and  he  was  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  bank  and 
point  out  any  of  the  Brockway  gang  whom  he  would 
be  able  to  recognize  in  the  vicinity.  My  operative, 
therefore,  with  his  delegated  assistant  took  up  their 
positions  in  the  post-office,  which  was  directly  op 
posite  the  old  National  Bank  building,  which  it  was 
supposed  would  be  the  first  tried. 

Since  the  commencement  of  his  operations, 
Brockway  has  always  worked  upon  a  system  which 
though  perfectly  familiar  to  the  detectives,  is  one 
which  is  ingeniously  calculated  to  baffle  them  in  their 
attempts  to  fasten  a  crime  upon  him,  so  directly  as 
to  ensure  a  conviction. 

It  has  been  his  custom  to  employ  as  an  agent,  a 
man  whom  he  could  trust,  but  one  of  such  bad  char 
acter  and  reputation  that  no  jury  would  accept  his  un 
corroborated  testimony  should  he  prove  unfaithful. 
This  man's  duty  was  to  impart  his  instructions  to 
the  rest  of  the  gang,  with  whom  Brockway  himself 
never  held  any  business  communications  whatever— 
and  to  see  them  carried  out.  One  Charles  Fera, 
otherwise  known  as  the  "  Big  Duke  "  has  generally 
acted  in  this  capacity  for  Brockway. 


388  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

I  scarcely  expected  that  Brockway  would  himself 
go  to  Providence,  and  my  plans  were,  duly  laid,  to 
have  him  indicted  there,  after  the  arrest  of  his  con 
federates,  for  sending  forged  papers  into  the  state, 
secure  a  requisition  for  him,  and  then  take  him  on 
for  prosecution. 

Another  of  Brockway's  rules  was  to  have  dupli 
cate  forged  checks  prepared.  The  "  layer  down " 
was  given  one  of  them,  which  was  simply  indorsed  on 
the  back,  to  take  in.  The  teller  would  naturally  re- 1 
quire  identification.  The  " layer  down"  would  then 
take  the  check  and  retire  from  the  bank,  destroying 
the  document  as  he  went.  On  the  street  he  would 
be  met  by  Brockway,  who  would  hand  him  another 
check,  similar  in  all  respects  to  the  one  that  had  been 
presented,  except  that  in  addition  to  the  indorsement 
of  the  drawer,  it  had  also  the  words  "  all  right  "-—or 
"  O.  K.,"  and  the  signature  of  the  firm  whose  genu 
ine  check  had  been  imitated. 

The  "  layer  down "  would  then  return  to  the 
bank,  and  get  the  money  without  difficulty,  the  teller 
supposing  the  identification  to  have  been  freshly 
written.  It  would  not  have  been  at  all  "regular,"  to 
present  the  identified  check  first,  and  Brockway  was 
always  too  shrewd  to  take  any  such  chances.  An 
other  rule  of  his  was  to  have  several  "layers  down." 
If  one  came  out  all  right,  another  was  sent  in  with  a 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  389 

check,  and  if  this  succeeded,  a  third  attempt  was 
made.  After  this  third  attempt,  however,  he  always 
stopped  for  the  day.  His  watchers  kept  a  lookout 
on  the  bank,  and  the  broker's  office  until  the  next 
morning,  and  if  no  unusual  commotion  was  observed, 
it  was  taken  for  granted  that  the  victim's  account  was 
large  enough  to  stand  further  depletion,  and  other 
checks  previously  prepared  would  be  presented  next 
day,  and  even  the  third  day  thereafter,  if  circum 
stances  seemed  to  warrant  the  venture.  The  mo 
ment  any  sign  of  discovery  was  observed,  however, 
the  entire  gang  would  incontinently  flee  the  city. 

In  the  selection  of  layers  down,  favorites  were 
always  sent  in  first,  as  the  chances  of  detection  were 
then  the  slightest ;  the  last  men  were  required  to 
possess  a  large  amount  of  nerve,  as  the  amount  drawn 
might  overdraw  the  account  of  the  party  against 
whom  the  checks  were  drawn,  and  there  would  nat 
urally  be  some  searching  questions  to  answer.  Of 
course  the  amount  of  a  firm's  account  in  bank  was 
always  a  matter  of  guess  work,  and  therefore  involved 
great  risk,  although  Brockway's  rule  was  to  select 
heavy  concerns,  leave  a  wide  margin,  and  work  up 
gradually. 

But  to  return  to  our  particular  operation.  Friday 
passed  without  sign.  On  Saturday,  however,  my 
operative,  while  at  his  post  in  the  post-office,  saw 


390  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

Brockway  pass  the  old  National  Bank.  As  he  reached 
a  position  in  front  of  that  building,  he  seemed  to  give 
a  signal  with  his  head  to  somebody  who  stood  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street.  Soon  afterward  he  was 
joined  by  a  young  man,  who  held  some  conversation 
with  him,  and  after  a  short  delay  went  into  the  bank. 
When  they  had  disappeared  it  was  ascertained  that 
the  young  man  desired  to  get  a  check  certified,  similar 
in  all  respects  to  one  of  the  checks  prepared  by 
Charles  Ulrich.  Another  young  man  had  another 
check  similar  to  the  other  one  certified  in  the  Fourth 
National  Bank  on  the  same  afternoon.  They  then 
called  upon  Chase,  Watson  &  Butts,  and  Henry  E. 
Cranston,  just  before  the  close  of  business,  and  sold 
two  more  one  hundred  dollar  four-per-cent.  bonds, 
asking,  as  in  the  first  instance,  for  checks  "  to  send 
into  the  country."  The  object  of  this  move,  it  will 
readily  be  perceived,  was  to  get  the  last  numbers  of 
the  checks  issued  by  both  the  firms,  upon  which  they 
intended  to  operate.  This  would  give  them  all  day 
Sunday  to  affix  the  numbers  to  the  forged  checks,  and 
they  would  be  ready  to  work  without  fear  of  detection 
from  that  source,  as  soon  as  the  banks  were  opened  on 
Monday  morning.  The  object  of  having  the  checks  cer 
tified,  as  above  related,  was  to  make  them  available  for 
their  face  value  anywhere  in  case  anything  disastrous 
occurred.  The  two  original  and  genuine  checks,  from 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  391 

which  the  counterfeits  had  been  imitated,  reached  the 
Providence  banks  on  Saturday,  in  regular  order  from 
the  Ninth  National  Bank  of  New  York,  having  been 
deposited  there  by  T.  Winterbottom,  a  Spring  St. 
undertaker. 

All  being  in  readiness,  the  officers  awaited  the  as 
sault  they  had  every  reason  to  expect  would  be  made 
on  Monday  morning.  Their  anticipations  were  fully 
realized,  for  at  10  o'clock  on  that  morning,  a  man  en 
tered  the  Fourth  National  Bank  of  Providence  and 
presented  one  of  the  forged  checks.  It  was  filled 
out  for  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
dollars.  The  detective  who  was  on  duty  in  the  bank 
stepped  up  at  the  same  moment  and  presented  an 
other  check.  The  money  was  paid  to  the  forger 
without  hesitation,  and  he  placed  it  in  his  pocket. 
The  teller  then  gave  the  sign  agreed  upon,  and  the 
man  was  at  once  arrested.  Word  was  quietly  but 
quickly  sent  to  my  operative  who  was  watching 
Brockway,  waiting  upon  the  outside  of  the  bank,  and 
almost  before  he  was  aware  of  the  fact,  that  worthy 
found  himself  a  prisoner.  The  first  man  arrested 
gave  his  name  as  Joseph  Cook,  but  upon  being  con 
fronted  with  my  operative,  he  was  at  once  recognized 
as  Billy  Ogle,  a  well  known  confederate  of  Brock- 
way's.  Three  hours  passed  by,  and  the  patience  of 
the  detectives  at  th&  other  bank  was  still  unrewarded. 


39*  MAGMAS    AND    FORGING. 

At  one  o'clock,  however,  a  suspicious  looking  fellow 
sauntered  in  and  presented  the  expected  forged 
check.  An  attempt  was  made  to  arrest  him,  but  he 
took  to  his  heels,  and  was  captured  only  after  a  long 
chase,  in  which  the  officers  were  obliged  to  use  their 
revolvers  upon  the  fleeing  fugitive.  This  man  was 
ultimately  identified  as  George  Howell,  who  was 
known  to  be  in  communication  with  Brockway,  and 
who  had  left  Chicago  but  a  short  time  before. 

It  may  be  truthfully  said  that  Brockway  had  been 
responsible  for  every  forgery  of  consequence  within 
the  two  years  that  preceded  his  arrest,  and  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  his  equal  in  that  particular 
line  of  crime  does  not  exist  in  the  world.  There 
never  was  but  one  check  put  forth  by  him  that  was 
stopped  without  previous  warning.  That  was  a 
forgery  on  the  Fourth  National  Bank  of  New  York, 
in  which  the  signature  and  blank  of  Messrs.  Fisk  & 
Hatch,  the  famous  New  York  bankers,  were  imitated 
to  a  remarkable  degree  of  correctness.  This  firm, 
however,  had  a  private  mark  upon  their  blanks,  which 
the  counterfeiters  had  overlooked,  and  the  absence  of 
this  mark  caused  the  cashier  of  the  bank  to  hesitate 
a  moment.  The  "  layer  down  "  at  once  took  alarm 
at  this  and  fled,  but  had  he  stood  firm,  he  would  un 
doubtedly  have  received  the  money. 

Brockway  is  one  of  the  most  handsome  men  of 


,      FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  393 

the  day.  He  is  tall,  well  built,  with  a  wealth  of  curl 
ing  black  hair,  a  full  beard  of  raven  blackness  and  a 
pair  of  piercing  black  eyes.  Though  an  extravagant 
man  in  every  respect,  he  is  charged  with  no  small 
vices,  and  was  never  intoxicated.  At  one  time  he 
kept  a  faro  bank  in  partnership  with  the  notorious 
Dan  Noble,  who  was  recently  sentenced  to  20  years 
imprisonment  in  England  for  the  crime  of  forgery. 

Brockway  subsequently  branched  out  as  a  coun 
terfeiter,  and  being  detected,  served  two  terms  in  the 
New  York  State  prison  for  that  offense.  His  last 
incarceration  was  in  Auburn,  where  he  remained  five 
years.  During  this  term  of  his  imprisonment,  it  was 
noticed  that  he  seized  every  opportunity  that  was 
offered  to  him  to  practice  with  pen,  ink  and  paper. 
He  was  released  in  1878,  and  immediately  set  out  on 
a  career  of  wholesale  forgery,  through  the  West  and 
South.  In  June,  1879,  ne  an<^  Bill  Ogle,  one  of  his 
pals,  arrested  at  Providence  were  held  on  a  charge  of 
forgery  on  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  and  a 
complete  set  of  implements  was  found  in  his  rooms. 
In  this  case  he  made  a  confession,  in  which  he 
charged  Samuel  Felker,  an  ex-Government  detective, 
with  having  induced  him  to  come  to  Chicago,  prom 
ising  him  the  full  protection  of  the  police,  and  e/en 
selecting  the  banks  for  him  to  work  upon.  This  state 
ment  was  corroborated  by  a  subsequent  confession 
17* 


394  FOXGEXS    AND    FORGING. 

made  by  Ogle,  and  so  convinced  were  the  authorities, 
that  Felker  was  indicted,  and  Brockway  was  held  in 
$10,000  bail,  as  a  witness  against  him.  The  case, 
however,  has  never  been  called  to  trial,  on  account  of 
the  lack  of  sufficient  corroborative  evidence — the 
main  witnesses  being  both  men  of  acknowledged  bad 
character. 

After  his  release,  Brockway  went  to  N~ew  York, 
and  succeeded  in  perpetrating  the  following  forger 
ies  :  Chemical  National  Bank,  $13,000 ;  Second 
National  Bank,  $1,700;  Bank  of  the  Republic, 
$14,000;  Chatham  National  Bank,  $1,700;  Corn 
Exchange  Bank,  $700;  Phoenix  National  Bank, 
$7,500.  There  were  undoubtedly  other  cases  in 
which  the  banks  sustained  the  loss  and  made  no 
public  announcement  of  it.  The  Chemical  National 
Bank  also  did  this,  and  I  only  learned  of  this  forgery 
by  accident.  For  the  Phoenix  Bank  Forgery,  Brock- 
way,  James  Williams,  William  Ogle,  and  Charles 
Fera  were  all  arrested  by  me  and  held  to  trial  in  the 
City  of  New  York.  Williams  turned  state's-evidence, 
and  Ogle,  who  was  the  first  to  be  tried,  was  con 
victed  and  sentenced  to  five  years'  imprisonment,  but 
his  case  was  afterward  appealed.  Fera  and  Brock- 
way,  however,  managed  to  escape  punishment  on  the 
old  ground — the  bad  character  of  the  witnesses 
against  them,  and  the  lack  of  corroborative  evidence. 


AND    FOJtGlNG.  395 

Brockway  was,  however,  rearrested  by  my  son,  Rob 
ert  Pinkerton,  on  a  requisition  from  the  Governor  of 
Illinois,  at  the  instance  of  his  bondsmen  in  the  Felker 
case,  and  was  sent  to  Chicago,  but  he  soon  succeeded 
in  restoring  their  confidence  in  him,  and,  they  again 
renewing  his  bail,  he  was  released.  He  returned  at 
once  to  New  York  and  proceeded  from  thence  to 
Baltimore,  where  he  perpetrated  successful  forgeries 
on  the  Merchants'  and  Third  National  Bank  of  that 
city,  to  the  extent  of  $10,146. 

When  the  information  of  these  forgeries  was  pub 
lished,  I  felt  confident,  from  the  manner  in  which  the 
work  was  done,  that  Brockway  was  at  the  bottom  of 
them,  and  my  son  Robert  meeting  him  a  few  days 
afterwards  at  Coney  Island,  openly  taxed  him  with 
the  crime. 

Owing  to  some  ill-feeling  which  grew  out  of  the 
distribution  of  the  bank  of  the  Republic  job,  a  noted 
crook,  Tommy  Moore,  shot  Brockway  in  the  back, 
and  Moore  was  instantly  shot  and  dangerously 
wounded  by  Billy  Ogle.  A  dozen  shots  were  fired 
and  several  were  severely  wounded,  but  the  police 
made  no  arrests,  and  consequently  no  one  was 
punished. 

Brockway  was  brought  to  trial  for  this  last 
attempt  at  Providence,  and  Charles  Ulrich  appeared 
as  a  witness  against  him.  He  also  testified  that 


396  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

Brockway  had  brought  two  other  checks  to  him  for 
counterfeiting,  in  which  two  prominent  Philadelphia 
bankers  were  to  be  made  the  victims. 

His  career  was  thus  brought  to  a  summary  end, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  equal  promptness  and 
courage  in  detection  and  punishment  will  follow  any 
further  attempts  of  this  audacious  thief  to  plunder 
the  unsuspecting  public. 


CORPORATIONS   FLOATED   BY   FORGED   SECURITIES. 
"WiLD  CAT"  INSURANCE  COMPANIES. 

ONE  of  the  boldest,  and  for  a  time  the  most  suc 
cessful  course  of  swindling,  by  means  of  forged  secu 
rities,  was  perpetrated  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
a  few  years  ago,  and  a  record  of  that  operation 
deserves  a  place  in  this  connection.  It  is  a  story 
of  swindling  which  was  skillfully  and  successfully 
effected,  was  only  discovered  by  accident,  and  even 
then  the  leader  in  the  movement  was  able  to  adroitly 
explain  away  all  seeming  criminalities  and  thus  for 
the  time  escape  punishment.  Finally,  however,  a 
second  expose  occurred  and  further  concealment  was 


POUGERS    AND    FORGING.  397 

impossible.  The  principal  actor  in  this  scheme  was 
a  young  man  by  the  name  of  George  F.  Holton, 
whose  parents  were  wealthy,  and  whose  position  in 
society  was  of  unquestioned  respectability.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  natural  abilities,  and  with  a  business 
capacity  far  above  the  average.  In  his  youth  he 
devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  medicine,  during 
which  time  he  gave  great  attention  to  the  subject  of 
toxicology,  and  acquired  a  wonderful  knowledge  of 
the  effects  of  all  poisonous  materials  upon  the  human 
system.  His  talents  as  a  physician  were  never  fully 
developed,  however,  and  before  taking  his  degree  he 
relinquished  his  medical  studies  and  entered  into 
mercantile  business.  He  first  became  engaged  in  the 
business  of  insurance  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  from 
which  place  he  soon  afterward  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  he  established  himself  as  an  agent  for  several 
of  the  leading  Insurance  Companies  of  the  East. 
Tiring  of  this  vocation,  he  became  a  dealer  in  grain, 
but  being  unfortunate  in  this  venture,  he  returned  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  again  entered  the  insurance 
business. 

According  to  police  authorities,  the  city  of 
brotherly  love  was  at  that  time  the  home  of  a  num 
ber  of  "wildcat"  companies,  which,  in  the  absence 
of  a  State  Insurance  Examiner,  were  enabled  to  suc 
cessfully  impose  upon  the  community.  George  F. 


398  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

Holton  was  fully  aware  of  the  existence  of  these 
fraudulent  institutions,  and  he  had  not  been  long  in 
Philadelphia  when  he  became  identified  with  a 
corporation  devoted  to  underwriting,  whose  anoma 
lous  title  was  that  of  "The  Security."  This  corpora 
tion  was  organized  by  Holton,  who  also  became  its 
Secretary  and  Treasurer.  This  company,  it  is 
alleged,  had  no  proper  or  solid  monetary  foundation, 
yet,  so  plausible,  so  smooth  of  speech  and  so 
insinuating  in  manner  was  Holton,  that  he  succeeded 
in  inducing  a  number  of  respectable  and  reputable 
gentlemen  in  Philadelphia,  to  accept  positions  in  the 
company,  and  to  allow  their  names  to  appear  as 
directors.  By  means  of  his  extensive  and  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business,  Holton  soon  placed  the 
company  in  a  good  working  condition,  and  organized 
agencies  in  all  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  country. 
It  appeared  that  there  was  another  Insurance  Com 
pany  in  existence  of  the  same  name  as  that  adopted 
by  Holton,  which  was  a  good,  sound  and  responsible 
institution,  and  the  confidence  which  this  latter  com 
pany  enjoyed,  induced  many  people  to  confide  their 
business  to  the  swindling  concern,  under  the  impres 
sion  that  the  two  companies  were  identical.  The 
business  of  this  new  corporation  prospered  amazingly. 
The  secretary  was  a  thorough  business  man,  well 
posted  in  insurance  matters,  and  in  a  few  months 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  399 

Holton  had  received  about  $40,000  in  premiums  for 
risks  which  he  had  taken,  and  for  the  payment  of 
which,  in  case  of  loss,  the  company  owned  no  available 
assets. 

The  offices  of  the  company  were  located  on  one  of 
the  principal  business  thoroughfares  of  the  city,  and 
were  most  tastefully  and  luxuriously  furnished ;  dapper 
clerks  were  at  the  desks,  and  Holton,  when  he  was 
seen,  bore  the  absorbed  manners  of  an  anxious,  hard 
working  and  duty-loving  man  of  business.  More 
frequently,  however,  when  not  seen  in  the  outer  office, 
he  was  found  in  his  private  apartment  in  the  rear,  his 
feet  perched  easily  on  his  desk,  and  a  box  of  fragrant 
Havanas  within  his  reach.  Notwithstanding  the 
weakness  of  its  foundation,  the  Insurance  Company 
prospered.  The  premiums  were  duly  received,  and 
when  losses  occurred  to  their  patrons,  they  would 
sometimes  be  paid — provided  some  good  purpose  was 
to  be  served,  but  in  many  cases,  the  losses  were  con 
tested  upon  some  specious  plea  and  the  payment 
delayed. 

A  difficulty  soon  arose,  to  meet  which  some  new 
and  untried  means  had  to  be  devised.  The  State  had 
established  an  Insurance  Department,  and  had 
appointed  a  gentleman,  whose  duty  it  was  to  examine 
into  the  condition  and  standing  of  the  various  insur 
ance  companies  doing  business  in  Pennsylvania,  and 


400  FORGERS    AND    FORGTNG. 

also  to  require  an  exhibition   of  all   of  the  available 
assets  of  these  corporations. 

This  commissioner  was  an  avowed  enemy  of  the 
so  called  "wild  cat"  insurance  companies,  of  which 
he  had  heard  and  seen  so  much,  and  he  suspected 
that  the  Security  was  one  of  this  delectable  number. 
He  accordingly  notified  Holton,  that  he  would  speed 
ily  examine  the  affairs  of  his  company  in  order  to  dis 
cover  its  true  financial  condition.  Instead  of  being 
overcome  by  this  information,  the  inventive  faculties 
of  Holton  were  spurred  on  to  heroic  efforts,  and  he 
very  soon  devised  a  scheme,  by  which  he  could  suc 
cessfully  deceive  the  watchful  and  suspecting  commis 
sioner.  Aided  by  his  thorough  business  knowledge, 
he  caused  a  number  of  false  and  forged  mortgages  to 
be  executed,  upon  valuable  real  estate  in  Philadelphia, 
and  these  papers  were  executed  with  a  nicety,  well 
calculated  to  impose  upon  any  one  not  having  direct 
evidence  of  their  spurious  character.  Then  knowing 
full  well  that  all  reputable  corporations  have  large 
investments  in  bonds,  stocks,  and  other  valuable 
securities,  he  resolved  to  present  to  the  examining 
commissioner,  further  evidence  of  the  "  Security's " 
solvency,  by  showing  them  to  be  largely  interested  in 
United  States  and  railroad  bonds.  For  this  purpose 
he  managed  to  purchase  for  a  small  sum  one  hundred 
bonds  of  one  thousand  dollars  each,  which  had  been 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  401 

issued  by  one  of  the  southern  states  during  the  war. 
Although  these  bonds  had  no  real  market  value,  he 
depended  on  the  fact  that  the  bonds  which  had  been 
issued  by  the  same  state,  since  its  reconstruction,  had 
considerable  value,  to  thus  deceive  the  commissioner, 
and  to  make  this  dependence  the  more  certain,  the  dates 
of  the  old  bonds  were  changed,  so  as  to  pass  for  the 
more  recent  and  valuable  ones.  Besides  these  he 
managed  to  secure  from  other  bogus  insurance  men, 
and  from  dealers  in  stolen  securities — some  of  whom 
are  now  in  prison — a  large  number  of  stolen  and 
forged  United  States  bonds,  of  the  registered  series, 
the  names  on  which  had  been  duly  altered  to  meet 
the  emergency,  and  also  some  forged  certificates  of 
railroad  stock.  Thus  fully  armed  for  the  examiner, 
Holton  complacently  awaited  the  appearance  of  that 
official.  So  reckless  had  Holton  been  in  manufactur 
ing  his  spurious  mortgages  that  he  had  actually  exe 
cuted  one  for  a  large  amount  on  property,  owned  by 
one  of  his  own  responsible  and  deceived  directors,  and 
if  at  that  time  that  honest  individual  had  looked  over 
the  books  of  the  company,  he  would  have  unearthed 
an  immense  swindle,  and  have  learned  some  of  the 
secrets  of  "wild  cat"  insurance  companies  and  their 
methods,  which  would  have  been  a  profitable  revela 
tion  to  him. 

The     examination,     however,    was     successfully 


402  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

passed,  the  commissioner  was  fully  satisfied  as  to  the 
assets  of  "  The  Security,"  and  Holton  was  given  a 
certificate  accordingly.  Thus  far  everything  had 
prospered  with  Holton  and  his  schemes,  but,  not  sat 
isfied  with  his  present  success,  he  became  ambitious 
for  further  efforts,  and  more  daring  exploits. 

He  conceived  a  gigantic  plan  to  flood  the  Phila 
delphia  money  market  with  forged  stocks  and  bonds 
and  he  carefully  made  his  preparations  for  that  event. 
He  extended  his  acquaintance  among  professional 
forgers  and  middle  men,  and  he  soon  was  hand  and 
glove  with  a  coterie  of  professional  criminals,  who, 
under  the  guise  of  assisting  him  in  his  unlawful  ven 
tures,  were  simply  making  him  the  tool  of  their  work 
and  profit.  He  engaged  the  services  of  several  ex 
perts  in  this  particular  line,  among  whom  was  the 
notorious  Jacob  Canter,  who  was  the  most  skillful  pen 
man  in  the  United  States,  and  whose  forgeries  were  al 
most  miraculous  for  their  close  and  uniform  imitations. 

About  this  time  another  insurance  company  in 
the  same  city,  and  in  a  similar  condition,  was  ordered 
by  the  insurance  commissioner  to  make  an  exhibi 
tion  of  their  assets.  The  officers  of  this  company  were 
not  so  ingenious  as  Mr.  Holton,  and  were  in  a  great 
dilemma.  Being  on  friendly  terms  with  the  officers  of 
this  company,  however,  Mr.  Holton  was  appealed  to 
for  help  in  this  dire  difficulty.  Holton  readily  agreed 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  403 

to  help  this  sister  bogus  company,  provided  he  were 
well  paid  for  his  trouble.  His  proposition  was  readily 
accepted,  and  he  received  some  $7,500  in  advance,  for 
his  services.  In  return  for  this  he  furnished  the  other 
company  with  the  altered  Southern  bonds,  and  some 
of  the  forged  railroad  stock,  which  had  served  him  so 
well.  This  time,  however,  the  commissioner  was 
more  particular,  and  the  securities  offered  were  at 
once  rejected  as  insufficient  and  valueless,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  "  Community  Fire  Insurance  Co." 
incontinently  collapsed.  As  soon  as  this  company  had 
dissolved,  Holton,  knowing  full  well  that  the  secretary 
of  the  defunct  institution  was  fully  aware  of  his  tricky 
methods,  and  might  prove  dangerous  to  him,  began  to 
circulate  damaging  reports  about  him,  which  com 
pelled  him  to  leave  the  country,  much  to  the  relief  of 
the  ingenious  and  unscrupulous  Holton.  Holton,  at 
this  time,  was  living  in  a  most  luxurious  manner  with 
a  lady,  presumably  his  wife,  in  one  of  the  first  hotels 
of  the  city.  He  had  plenty  of  money  at  his  command, 
drove  a  span  of  spirited  horses,  and  his  diamonds 
were  the  envy  of  all  beholders.  Meanwhile  he  was 
preparing  the  way  for  his  grand  issue  of  forged  secur 
ities.  He  had  opened  accounts  with  several  banks 
both  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  in  order  to  facil 
itate  his  operations  when  he  was  ready  to  make  his 
grand  movement.  His  plan  was  to  deposit  these 


404  FORGEXS    AND     FORGING. 

jfji 

worthless  securities  with  the  several  banks  where  he 
was  acquainted,  as  collateral  for  loans,  which  he  could 
readily  effect,  and  the  fraudulent  nature  of  the  security 
would  not  be  discovered  until  either  the  principal  or 
interest  should  become  due,  and  he  should  fail  to  make 
proper  and  prompt  payments. 

From  an  unsuspecting  banking  house  in  Philadel 
phia  he  obtained  a  loan  of  $45,000,  and  deposited,  as 
security,  forged  and  stolen  U.  S.  registered  bonds, 
and  from  a  prominent  merchant  of  his  acquaintance 
he  obtained  $5,000  upon  another  spurious  U.  S.  bond, 
for  the  same  amount.  Upon  this  latter  debt  becom 
ing  due  Holton  failed  to  pay  it,  and  the  bond  he  had 
given  was  sold.  It  passed  through  several  hands 
without  suspicion,  and  finally  reached  the  U.  S.  Treas 
ury  Department,  where  it  was  at  once  discovered  to 
have  been  originally  stolen  and  altered.  It  was  therefore 
returned  through  its  various  channels  to  the  gentleman 
who  had  made  the  loan  to  Holton,  and  Holton  imme 
diately  redeemed  it  and  thus  escaped,  for  the  time  be 
ing,  exposure  and  arrest. 

As  soon  as  this  accident  to  his  plan  occurred, 
Holton,  fearing  that  the  banking  institution  from 
which  he  had  obtained  the  $45,000  would  learn  of  it, 
and  would  discover  that  the  securities  they  held  were 
also  valueless,  determined  upon  a  bold  stroke  in 
order  to  save  himself.  He  therefore  went  boldly  to 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  405 

the  bank  and  announced  that  he  had  serious  doubts 
as  to  the  validity  of  the  bonds  he  had  deposited  with 
them,  and  requested  the  privilege  of  replacing  them 
with  others.  He  was  just  in  time,  for  that  very  day, 
a  messenger  from  the  gentleman  from  whom  Holton 
had  borrowed  the  $5,000,  arrived  at  the  bank  with 
the  story  of  that  gentleman's  experience.  The  bank, 
however,  permitted  Holton  to  replace  the  U.  S. 
bonds,  with  forged  railroad  bonds,  some  bank  stock 
which  he  persuaded  a  friend  to  hypothecate,  and  a 
judgment  note  which  he  also  procured  from  the  same 
obliging  and  deceived  friend.  By  these  means  he 
was  enabled  to  escape  detection  for  a  time,  but  fail 
ing  to  pay  his  interest  promptly,  the  bank  threatened 
to  offer  the  railroad  bonds  for  sale  in  order  to  recover 
their  money.  This  must  be  avoided  at  all  hazards, 
as  a  sale  would  have  revealed  their  fraudulent 
character  at  once.  Thus  pressed,  the  young  man 
took  the  desperate  chance  of  openly  disposing  of 
some  other  stolen  and  forged  securities  which  he 
held,  and  being  successful  in  this,  he  redeemed  his 
note  with  the  bank,  and  recovered  possession  of  the 
questionable  bonds,  which  he  had  deposited  with 
them.  While  all  this  was  going  on,  and  while  these 
desperate  make-shifts  were  destroying  his  reputation 
as  a  respectable  business  man,  and  effectually  pre 
venting  the  operation  of  his  great  scheme,  Holton 


406  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

was  diligently  employed  in  another  direction  with  his 
professional  forger  friends.  He  had  opened  an 
office  in  New  York  city,  in  close  proximity  to  the  ex 
change,  where  he  was  transacting  business  under  the 
firm  of  Benedict  and  Co.  Mr.  Holton  passing  under 
the  name  of  Benedict.  Here  he  disposed  of  bonds 
to  a  large  amount,  and  delivered  four  of  them  of  the 
value  of  $1,000  each.  These  bonds  were  immediately 
discovered  to  be  forgeries,  and  the  next  day  Holton 
was  peremptorily  requested  to  return  the  money  he 
had  received  for  them.  This  he  did,  and  shortly 
afterward  $15,000  worth  of  Chicago  and  North 
western  Railroad  bonds,  which  Holton  had  sold  in 
Philadelphia,  were  discovered  to  be  forgeries,  and 
decisive  measures  were  taken  to  apprehend  him. 
After  many  fruitless  efforts  to  escape,  he  was  finally 
captured,  and  an  examination  was  made  of  the  pre 
mises  he  had  occupied  in  New  York.  Desks  were 
broken  open,  and  carpets  torn  up,  resulting  in  the 
discovery  of  a  number  of  forged  United  States 
bonds,  and  other  securities,  and  also  a  counterfeit 
plate  for  printing  United  States  currency.  It  was 
evident  that  Holton  or  Benedict  had  been  preparing 
himself  for  operations  on  a  large  scale,  and  that  he 
was  exposed  in  the  nick  of  time.  These  fraudulent 
documents  were  eventually  destroyed,  and  Holton, 
in  order  to  save  himself,  turned  state's  evidence,  and 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  407 

revealed  the  whole  transaction,  thus  leading  to  the 
arrest  of  the  principals,  and  the  breaking  up  of  the 
entire  organization. 


A  FORGER  OF  MANY  EXPERIENCES. 

AMONG  the  notable  characters  who  have  promi 
nently  figured  in  criminal  circles,  is  a  man  whose 
name  is  well  known  in  banking  circles  throughout  the 
land.  He  is  probably  the  greatest  and  most  success 
ful  thief  and  forger  of  modern  times,  and  his  final  ar 
rest  and  imprisonment  was  a  relief  to  the  entire  com 
munity.  His  name  is  Walter  Sheridan,  but  during  his 
career  he  has  adopted  a  number  of  aliases,  and  among 
the  number  were  those  of  Walter  Stewart  and 
Charles  Ralston.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in 
1873,  a  famous  gang  of  forgers  among  whom  were 
Walter  Sheridan,  George  Wilkes,  Andrew].  Roberts, 
and  Frank  Gleason,  nearly  disrupted  the  Wall  street 
markets  by  their  gigantic  issue  of  fraudulent  stocks, 
and  these  men  were  also  connected  with  that  wonder 
ful  attempt  at  forgery  on  the  Bank  of  England  in 
which  several  millions  of  dollars  were  attempted  to  be 
obtained  from  "  the  old  lady  of  Threadneedle  street." 
As  to  the  conception  of  this  scheme,  the  plans  were  all 


408  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

laid  in  New  York  City,  and  the  capital  necessary  to 
carry  on  the  operation,  was  subscribed  by  the  men  I 
have  named,  and  by  George  MacDonnell,  Austin  and 
Biron  Bidwell,  and  Samuel  Perry.  The  former  of 
these,  rinding  that  MacDonnell,  and  the  Bidwells, 
were  leading  a  fast  life  in  England,  and  were  associa 
ting  with  notorious  and  disreputable  women  in  Lon 
don,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  seriously  affect  the  suc 
cess  of  their  scheme,  they  at  once  withdrew  from  the 
operation,  and  allowed  these  latter  gentlemen  to  pur 
sue  their  way  alone.  When  Sheridan  deserted  this 
party,  his  place  was  supplied  by  one  George  or  Gott 
lieb  Engels,  another  famous  forger,  and  he  in  turn 
withdrew  from  them,  and  they  were  thus  left  to  ac 
complish  the  forgeries  alone.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
say  that  they  failed,  and  fleeing  to  America  they  were 
arrested  by  me,  and  are  now  serving  out  life-sentences 
in  Great  Britain. 

To  retrieve  the  losses  occasioned  by  the  failure 
of  these  Bank  of  England  forgeries,  a  gigantic  com 
bination  was  formed  among  the  remaining  members 
of  the  party  in  this  country.  Plates  were  prepared, 
and  false  bonds  printed  and  openly  sold  on  the  market, 
of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad,  the  Buffalo  and 
Erie  Railroad,  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Rail 
road,  the  New  Jersey  Central  Railroad,  the  California 
and  Oregon  Railroad,  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  the 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  409 

Tebo  and  Neosho  Railroad,  Allentown  School  Fund 
bonds  and  Erie  Water  bonds.  As  nearly  as  can  be 
estimated  the  total  amount  of  the  bonds  thus  forged, 
reached  the  amount  of  $2,500,000.  The  forged  writ 
ing  on  them  is  claimed  to  have  been  done  by  George 
Engels,  who  was  undoubtedly  the  most  accomplished 
forger  in  the  country  in  his  particular  line.  All  of  the 
parties  were  eventually  arrested  and  brought  to 
justice,  but  not  until  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
these  worthless  securities  had  been  floated  upon  the 
market. 

The  career  of  Walter  Sheridan  is  a  most  wonder 
ful  one,  considering  the  life  of  an  ordinary  criminal 
as  a  comparison.  He  is  now  about  forty-five  years 
old.  He  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  of  respectable 
parents,  and  received  a  fine  education.  He  is  about 
five  feet  seven  inches  in  height,  a  decided  blonde,  and 
of  very  handsome  person  and  gentlemanly  address. 

When  a  mere  boy  he  drifted  into  crime,  and  made 
his  first  appearance  in  the  character  of  a  criminal  in 
Western  Missouri  as  a  horse  thief.  Then  he  became 
an  accomplished  general  thief  and  confidence  man, 
but  was  especially  distinguished  as  a  bank  sneak.  In 
1858  he  was  arrested  in  company  with  Joseph  Moran, 
a  noted  western  robber,  for  a  bank  robbery  in  Chi 
cago,  and  was  sentenced  to  five  years'  imprisonment 
in  the  Alton  Penitentiary,  which  term  he  faithfully 

18  ' 


4io  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

served.  The  next  operation  of  any  magnitude  in 
which  he  was  concerned,  was  the  robbery  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Springfield,  111.,  in  company 
with  Charles  Hicks  and  Philip  Pearson,  Sheridan 
engaged  the  teller  of  the  bank  in  conversation, 
while  Hicks  and  Pearson  crawled  through  a  window 
and  stole  $35,000  from  the  vaults.  Pearson  escaped 
to  Europe,  Hicks  was  arrested  and  sentenced  to 
eight  years'  imprisonment  in  Joliet  Prison,  and  Sheri 
dan  was  subsequently  arrested  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  by 
my  son,  William  A.  Pinkerton,  with  $22,000  in  his 
possession.  He  was  placed  on  trial,  but  strange  to 
say,  the  jury  acquitted  him.  He  was  next  concerned 
in  the  sneak  robbery  of  the  Maryland  Fire  Insurance 
Company  of  Baltimore,  by  which  the  thieves  secured 
$120,000  in  bonds,  and  after  this  came  the  successful 
robbery  of  the  Merchants'  and  Mechanics'  Bank  of 
Scranton,  Penn.,  by  which  $37,000  in  bonds  were  se 
cured  by  Sheridan.  Then  came  the  robbery  of  a 
bank  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  by  which  $40,000  was  car 
ried  off  by  Jesse  Allen,  James  Griffin,  Joseph  Butts 
and  Sheridan.  Allen  and  Griffin  were  convicted  and 
sentenced  to  prison,  Butts  was  discharged  and  Sheri 
dan  managed  to  escape  capture.  Possibly  the  neat 
est  robbery  in  which  Sheridan  was  ever  engaged,  was 
that  of  Mr.  Blatchford,  the  father  of  United  States 
Judge  Blatchford,  who  was  plundered  of  $75,000  in 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  411 

bonds  while  buying  an  apple  at  Nassau  and  Liberty 
Streets,  in  New  York  city,  some  few  years  ago.  Mr. 
Blatchford  was  pleasantly  accosted  by  Sheridan,  who 
engaged  him  in  conversation,  and  so  interested  him 
that  he  unthinkingly  laid  down  his  wallet  containing 
the  bonds,  upon  the  apple  stand,  from  which  it  was  re 
moved  at  once  by  a  confederate.  A  portion  of  these 
bonds  were  subsequently  found  in  the  possession  of 
Horace  C.  Corp,  a  brother-in-law  of  Gleason,  who 
was  arrested  at  the  time,  but  discharged  for  want  of 
evidence. 

When  the  forgery  scheme  was  laid,  after  the  fail 
ure  of  the  Bank  of  England  forgeries,  Sheridan  be 
came  a  member  of  the  New  York  Produce  Ex 
change,  under  the  name  of  Charles  Ralston,  and  un 
der  this  same  name  he  carried  on  business  as  a  dealer 
in  fancy  marbles,  under  the  title  of  "The  Belgian 
Stone  Company."  The  forged  bonds  being  placed 
on  the  market,  he  obtained  a  loan  of  $70,000  from 
The  New  York  Guaranty  and  Indemnity  Company, 
giving  as  collateral  security  $102,000  in  forged  bonds 
of  the  Buffalo  &  Erie  Railroad,  and  on  the  following 
day  obtained  a  loan  of  $30,000  on  $40,000  of  the 
same  forged  securities.  When  later,  the  forgeries  be 
came  known,  Sheridan  escaped  to  Europe,  and  re 
mained  in  Belgium  for  a  long  time,  after  which  he  re 
turned  again  to  America.  He  was  finally  arrested 


412  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

by  my  son  Robert,  who  had  been  on  his  trail  for  a 
long  time,  and  was  arraigned  in  New  York  city  in 
the  Court  of  General  Sessions  on  eighty-four  indict 
ments  for  forgery.  Whih>  in  the  prisoners'  box  he  as 
certained  that  he  would  be  confronted  by  a  number 
of  his  victims  for  identification,  and  fearing  this  try 
ing  ordeal,  he  exchanged  clothes  with  one  of  the 
meanest  looking  criminals,  by  whom  he  was  sur 
rounded,  giving  his  fashionable  clothes  and  hat  for 
the  worst  garments  he  could  find.  As  may  be  imag 
ined,  his  appearance  underwent  a  thorough  change,  and 
those  who  had  seen  him  an  hour  before  in  his  usual 
costume,  found  it  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
to  recognize  him.  He  was  finally  pursued  to  convic 
tion,  and  now  after  long  years  of  crime,  he  is  a  pris 
oner  in  an  Eastern  Penitentiary. 


THE  BANK  OF  ENGLAND  FORGERS. 

ON  the  26th  day  of  August,  1873,  in  the  Old 
Bailey  Court,  in  London,  the  most  remarkable  story  of 
daring  forgery  and  fraud  that  the  world  has  known, 
was  brought  to  a  conclusion  by  the  sentence  of 
George  MacDonnell,  two  brothers,  whose  names 
were  Austin  and  Biron  Bidwell,  and  an  individual 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  413 

calling  himself  Edwin  Noyes,  to  penal  servitude  for 
life,  for  forgery  on  the  Bank  of  England. 

The  amount  of  these  forgeries  aggregated  nearly 
to  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars,  but  even  this  gi 
gantic  amount  was  not  the  only  feature  which  gave 
particular  importance  to  the  case.  The  history  of 
this  crime  shows  that  four  men  of  very  marked  intel 
ligence,  and  of  considerable  education,  had  been  work 
ing  for  years  in  concert,  with  the  deliberate  intention 
of  defrauding  the  world,  and  with  a  certain  degree  of 
pride  in  their  dishonest  undertakings.  For  nearly 
ten  years  they  had  defied  the  efforts  of  the  authorities 
to  detect  them,  and  emboldened  by  their  success,  they 
determined  to  attack  the  institution  in  England,  which 

o 

more  than  any  other,  represents  caution,  security  and 
unlimited  capital ;  fully  believing  that  by  careful  com 
bination  they  could  swindle,  to  an  enormous  amount, 
the  shrewd  and  experienced  men  who  controlled  it. 

They  laid  their  plans  carefully,  and  performed 
their  work  coolly  and  deliberately.  They  established 
an  office  in  the  business  portion  of  the  city,  and  in 
vested  a  large  amount  of  capital  in  the  enterprise, 
just  as  men  of  honesty  would  put  out  their  money  in 
a  legitimate  undertaking,  entertaining  no  doubt  that 
in  due  time  they  would  amply  reap  the  reward  of  their 
labor  and  foresight.  The  capital  that  "  Messrs.  Mac- 
Donnell  &  Co."  depended  upon  to  give  them  access 


4i4  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

to  the  vaults  of  the  Bank  of  England,  was  English 
gold  deposited  in  strict  accordance  with  commercial 
usage,  in  the  vaults  of  the  Bank  itself. 

Nor  were  they  hasty  or  imprudent  in  carrying  out 
their  designs.  For  months  they  conducted  their  op 
erations  with  a  most  business  like  caution,  and  they 
might  have  eventually  succeeded  in  gaining  the  cov 
eted  millions,  had  not  the  first  flush  of  success  so  un 
nerved  them  that  they  grew  careless,  and  made  a  most 
foolish  and  unnecessary  error.  This  at  once  exposed 
them,  and  resulted  in  bringing  their  finely  arranged 
plots  to  naught,  and  themselves  to  a  life  of  servitude 
among  felons  less  intelligent  and  refined,  and,  it  may 
be  said,  less  crafty  and  hardened  than  themselves. 

The  manner  in  which  these  men  worked  was  as 
simple  as  it  was  ingenious.  George  MacDonnell 
began  by  opening  a  deposit  account  of  an  ordinary 
character  with  the  western  branch  of  the  bank.  For 
this  purpose  he  needed  only  an  introduction  by  some 
regular  and  known  customer  of  the  bank,  and  the  sole 
evidence  of  solvency  which  the  institution  required  of 
him,  was  the  deposit  of  a  sufficient  cash  balance  to 
warrant  their  carrying  the  account.  This  amount  was 
forthcoming  from  the  results  of  previous  depreciations, 
and  constituted  part  of  the  capital  with  which  the 
fraud  was  carried  on.  The  manager  of  the  scheme 
was  patient  and  conducted  himself  for  a  time  as  an 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  415 

ordinary  customer  of  good  resources.  He  was  appar 
ently  cautious  in  all  his  operations,  and  aimed  at 
acquiring  the  reputation  of  a  person  engaged  in  legit 
imate  and  profitable  business  affairs. 

At  length  the  time  came  for  which  they  had  been 
long  waiting.  Their  name  was  established,  their 
credit  was  good,  and  then  came  the  presentation  of 
the  forged  bills.  So  excellently  were  they  executed, 
that  they  were  discounted  without  hesitation,  and  the 
authors  of  the  fraud  had  to  all  appearances  succeeded 
in  pocketing  about  five  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
In  order  to  avoid  arousing  the  suspicions  of  the  bank 
authorities  a  part  of  this  money  was  invested  in 
United  States  bonds. 

The  manufacture  of  these  forged  bills  required  the 
greatest  amount  of  ingenuity  and  labor.  Many  of  the 
large  firms,  upon  whom  the  bills  purported  to  be 
drawn,  use  a  particular  kind  of  paper,  with  certain 
water  marks  and  printed  symbols.  As  the  bills  were 
drawn  on  more  than  one  firm  there  were  several  of 
such  imitations  required,  and  yet,  in  all  cases,  these 
forgeries  were  so  nearly  perfect,  that  not  one  of  them 
was  questioned  on  the  ground  of  a  doubt  of  the  accep 
tor's  signatures  or  of  their  genuine  appearance.  The 
bills  were  all  drawn  at  three  months'  date,  and  the 
money  was  regularly  obtained.  No  further  inquiry 
was  likely  to  be  made  about  them,  until  they  fell  due, 


416  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

and  the  forgers  would  have  ample  time  to  place  them 
selves  beyond  all  risk  of  capture.  Yet  notwithstand 
ing  all  this,  and  strange  as  it  may  seem,  these  men, 
who  had  exerted  a  skill,  foresight  and  perseverance, 
sufficient  to  insure  the  unhesitating  acceptance  of 
these  numerous  forged  bills,  did  not  escape  the  com 
mission  of  one  trivial  blunder  which  led  to  the  imme 
diate  discovery  of  the  whole  dishonest  transaction. 

They  omitted  to  put  the  date  of  acceptance  upon 
two  of  the  bills  which  they  had  presented,  and  in  order 
to  rectify  this,  the  bills  were  taken  to  the  firms,  who 
were  alleged  to  have  signed  them,  for  the  purpose  of 
having  the  dates  filled  up  by  the  proper  parties. 
Upon  their  being  presented  to  these  firms,  they  were 
at  once  pronounced  to  be  forgeries. 

The  forgers  were  well  known,  and  an  attempt  was 
immediately  made  to  arrest  them  before  they  had  an 
opportunity  to  make  their  escape,  but  their  move 
ments  were  too  late,  the  criminals  had  taken  the 
alarm  and  fled,  and  after  dividing  their  money,  had 
separated.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  George 
MacDonnell  had  started  for  New  York,  but  by  what 
vessel,  could  not  then  be  learned.  The  news  was 
telegraphed  to  America,  and  a  full  description  of  the 
man  was  given.  The  police  authorities  of  this  coun 
try  were  aroused,  and  they  resolved  that  if  the  forger 
attempted  to  land  he  would  be  arrested  at  once. 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  417 

Accordingly  the  police-boat  was  ordered  out,  and 
cruised  about  the  harbor  of  New  York  for  several 
days  without  success.  Several  vessels  were  boarded, 
but  no  trace  of  the  absconding  MacDonnell  could  be 
found.  Late  on  the  following  day  the  "  Thuringia" 
arrived  at  Quarantine,  and  a  detective  went  on  board. 
The  passengers  were  called  up  for  examination  by  the 
health  officer,  and  the  detective  accompanied  him. 
Their  search  was  crowned  with  gratifying  success,  and 
a  passenger  who  answered  the  description  of  George 
MacDonnell,  was  found  among  the  number.  He  was 
immediately  placed  under  arrest,  and  his  trunks  were 
taken  in  charge  by  the  officers.  A  careful  examina 
tion  of  his  effects  disclosed  about  forty  thousand 
dollars  in  gold  coin,  valuable  diamonds,  and  a  variety 
of  watches,  jewelry  and  fancy  goods,  that  was  quite 
astonishing.  The  prisoner  affected  to  be  highly  indig 
nant  at  the  outrage  which  he  claimed  had  been  com 
mitted  upon  his  person  and  his  liberty,  and  threatened 
loudly  that  the  officers  should  be  made  to  pay  dearly 
for  what  they  were  now  doing. 

His  angry  demonstrations,  however,  had  no  effect 
upon  the  officers,  and  as  quickly  as  possible,  Mr 
MacDonnell  was  conveyed  to  the  jail  in  New  York 
city,  and  locked  in  a  cell  to  await  an  examination. 
After  a  diligent  search,  in  which  nearly  all  of  the 
prominent  detectives  of  the  country  were  engaged, 

18* 


4i  8  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

the  entire  number  of  the  suspected  criminals  were 
captured  and  conveyed  to  London,  where,  after  a 
protracted  trial  George  MacDonnell,  the  two  Bid- 
wells,  and  Edward  Noyes  were  convicted  and  sen 
tenced  to  hard  labor  for  life.  Nearly  all  of  the 
stolen  property  was  recovered,  and  the  discomfited 
prisoners  may  now  reflect  in  bitterness  of  spirit  upon 
the  fearful  punishment  which  their  crimes  have 
brought  upon  them.  This  was  by  no  means  the  first 
crime  with  which  George  MacDonnell  had  been  con 
nected.  For  years  prior  to  this  time  he  had  been  as 
sociated  with  criminals  of  the  lighter  order,  and  by 
his  rascality  had  amassed  a  considerable  sum  of 
money.  The  first  knowledge  which  I  gained  of  him, 
was  in  connection  with  a  gang  of  adroit  swindlers  who 
operated  around  Wall  Street  in  New  York  city,  in 
1867,  and  among  the  number  were  the  two  Bidwells, 
who  shared  his  fate  in  this  Bank  of  England  forgery. 
The  headquarters  of  this  gang  were  on  Broad  Street, 
in  the  very  center  of  the  financial  circles  of  the  great 
Metropolis,  and  where  they  were  within  easy  reach  of 
all  the  large  banking  institutions  of  the  city.  Their 
mode  of  operation  was  to  procure  checks  of  some 
well-known  firms  for  small  amounts,  and  then  to 
forge  the  signatures  of  those  who  gave  them,  for  large 
sums  which  they  succeeded  without  difficulty  in  pass 
ing  upon  the  large  banking  houses  and  business 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  419 

firms.  So  ingeniously  were  their  schemes  planned 
and  so  cleverly  was  their  work  executed,  that  for  a 
long  time,  they  escaped  detection.  At  length,  so 
closely  were  they  watched,  that  they  were  compelled 
to  change  the  scene  of  their  operations,  and  Mac- 
Donnell  and  his  two  friends  separated  from  the  others 
and  went  into  partnership  upon  their  own  account. 

Shortly  after  this,  James  W.  Barnard,  a  well- 
known  physician  on  Fifth  Avenue  advertised  the 
front  parlor  of  his  house  to  let.  MacDonnell  went 
there  on  the  morning  of  October  30,  1867,  and  find 
ing  the  wife  of  the  physician  at  home,  he  pretended 
that  he  was  a  rich  Englishman  traveling  for  pleasure, 
and  that  being  disgusted  with  American  hotel  life, 
he  had  resolved  to  locate  himself  in  comfortable 
private  apartments.  He  presented  his  card  on  which 
appea-red  the  name  of  Henry  B.  Livingston,  which  he 
stated  was  his  name.  He  was  accompanied  by  one 
of  the  Bidwells,  who  took  the  part  of  his  valet,  and 
whom  he  frequently  addressed  as  Clarence.  After 
some  conversation  MacDonnell  engaged  the  parlor 
and  two  rooms  adjoining  for  a  large  sum,  and  at  once 
paid  an  installment  in  advance. 

Two  hours  afterwards,  he  in  company  with  his 
servant  went  to  a  prominent  jewelry  establishment  on 
Broadway,  and  requested  to  be  shown  some  expensive 
diamonds.  A  tray  was  placed  before  him,  and  after 


4io  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

a  careful  and  critical  inspection  of  the  gems,  he 
selected  a  solitaire  ring,  a  brooch  with  seven  stones, 
two  diamond  ear-drops  and  two  large  unset  diamonds, 
the  total  value  of  the  precious  stones  amounting  to 
nearly  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  He  in 
formed  the  salesman  that  his  name  was  W.  H. 
Barnard ;  that  his  residence  was  on  Fifth  Avenue, 
and  that  he  would  go  down  town  to  see  his  father, 
and  would  return  in  two  hours  with  the  money  for  the 
jewels.  He  afterwards  returned  to  the  jewelers,  and 
stated  that  he  had  missed  seeing  his  father,  but  had 
left  word  at  his  place  of  business  for  the  money  to  be 
left  at  the  house.  He  requested  to  have  the  diamonds 
sent  there  and  invited  the  salesman  to  accompany 
him  in  a  carriage,  which  was  waiting  for  him  at  the 
door.  A  coachman  in  all  the  glory  of  new  livery  sat 
upon  the  box,  and  MacDonnell  addressed  him  as 
"  Charles."  The  salesman  accepted  the  invitation, 
entered  the  carriage,  and  was  driven  to  the  reputed 
residence  on  Fifth  Avenue. 

The  name  of  Barnard  was  upon  the  door,  and  as 
the  carriage  drew  up,  MacDonnell  alighted,  and  with 
the  salesman  entered  the  front-parlor,  where  they 
found  Bidwell  busily  engaged  in  reading  at  one  of 
the  windows.  As  they  entered  the  room  MacDonnell 
addressed  him  : 

"  Clarence,  where  is  father  ?  " 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  421 

"  He  has  just  stepped  out,"  answered  Clarence. 

"  Do  you  know  where  he  has  gone  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  think  he  has  gone  around  to  the  build 
ing." 

"  Clarence,"  then  said  MacDonnell,  "  the  carriage 
is  at  the  door,  and  I  wish  you  would  go  around  and 
see  father.  This  gentleman  is  from  Tiffany's,  and  he 
desires  the  money  for  the  goods  I  have  purchased  of 
them." 

Without  demurring  in  the  least,  Clarence  entered 
the  carriage,  and  was  driven  away,  and  MacDonnell 
entertained  his  guest  while  waiting. 

In  a  short  time  Clarence  returned  with  a  check, 
which  he  handed  to  MacDonnell  who  in  turn  handed 
it  to  the  salesman.  It  was  drawn  upon  a  prominent 
city  bank,  and  for  the  exact  amount  of  the  purchases 
that  had  been  made.  The  check  was  also  signed  by 
James  W.  Barnard,  and  purported  to  be  duly  certi 
fied  by  the  bank  on  which  it  was  drawn.  Everything 
appearing  to  be  satisfactory,  the  salesman  left  the 
jewelry  and  departed  from  the  house  with  the  worth 
less  check  in  his  possession.  Ten  minutes  afterwards, 
MacDonnell  and  Bidwell  were  on  their  way  to  the 
Eastern  States. 

In  their  hurry  to  get  away,  or  controlled  by  a  de 
sire  to  avoid  dividing  with  their  other  accomplice, 
Charles,  the  coachman,  they  left  that  individual  in 


422  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

the  lurch.  This  omission  was  fatal  to  them,  for  the 
indignant  dupe  at  once  repaired  to  police  headquar 
ters,  and  related  the  whole  story  to  the  detectives. 
Steps  were  immediately  taken  to  effect  their  arrest, 
and  MacDonnell  was  tracked  to  Portland,  Maine, 
where  he  was  found  in  jail  in  the  month  of  Decem 
ber,  he  having  been  committed  for  some  trifling  of 
fense.  He  was  brought  to  New  York  where  he  was 

o 

tried  for  the  forgery  and  robbery,  and  being  fully 
identified  by  the  victimized  salesman,  was  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  three  years'  imprisonment.  Bid- 
well  was  not  found. 

While  serving  out  his  imprisonment  MacDonnell 
was  employed  as  a  waiter  in  the  shoe  manufacturing 
department,  but  he  only  served  two  years  and  two 
months  when  his  fine  was  remitted,  and  he  was  re 
leased. 

After  leaving  the  prison  he  started  for  the  West, 
and  a  few  months  afterward  he  entered  the  cars  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  with  a  ticket  for  Liverpool.  He  sat 
in  the  seat  with  a  jolly-looking,  goocl-natured  drover, 
whom  he  soon  fascinated  with  his  entertaining  con 
versation.  MacDonnell  carried  with  him  a  flask  of 
very  excellent  brandy,  and  in  the  course  of  their  jour 
ney,  the  two  men  drank  quite  frequently.  The  cattle 
dealer  soon  succumbed  to  the  effects  of  the  liquor,  and 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  423 

while  he  was  asleep  MacDonnell  abstracted  two  thou 
sand  six  hundred  dollars  from  his  pocket-book. 

He  had  with  him  several  newspapers  and  wrap 
pers,  and  folding  the  stolen  bills  in  with  these  publi 
cations,  he  enclosed  them  in  the  wrappers,  and  ad 
dressed  them  to  a  fictitious  name  in  New  York  city. 
He  posted  them  at  the  next  station,  and  then  quietly 
resumed  his  seat  beside  the  sleeping  drover.  When 
the  latter  recovered  from  his  stupor  the  train  reached 
a  junction,  where  a  change  of  cars  was  necessary,  and 
he  proposed  that  they  should  take  lunch  together. 
MacDonnell  consenting,  they  entered  the  dining 
room,  and  ordered  their  repast.  After  finishing  their 
meal,  the  drover  opened  his  pocket-book  to  pay  for 
the  meal,  when  he  discovered,  to  his  dismay,  that  his 
money  had  disappeared.  He  turned  to  MacDonnell, 
and  presenting  the  empty  wallet,  exclaimed  : 

"  I  had  twenty-six  hundred  dollars  when  you  took 
a  seat  beside  me,  and  now  I  haven't  a  cent !" 

MacDonnell  drew  back  in  well  affected  amaze 
ment. 

"  Do  you  think  I  would  take  your  money  ?  If  you 
do,  I  insist  upon  being  arrested  and  searched  at 
once  !  Here  are  my  checks,  get  my  baggage,  and  let 
the  officers  make  such  an  examination  as  will  satisfy 
them  and  you." 

He  was  accordingly  searched,  but  nothing  being 


424  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

found  upon  him,  he  was  fully  exonerated,  and  the 
drover  humbly  apologized  for  his  suspicions.  MacDon- 
nell  paid  the  fare  of  the  drover  to  Buffalo,  and  upon 
arriving  there  the  two  men  parted  with  mutual  expres 
sions  of  esteem.  MacDonnell  then  came  on  to  New 
York,  where  he  obtained  the  newspapers,  with  their 
valuable  enclosures  from  the  post-office,  which  he 
quickly  dissipated  in  extravagant  and  riotous  living. 

Some  time  after  this,  MacDonnell  was  suspected 
of  a  large  diamond  robbery,  that  had  been  effected  in 
a  very  scientific  manner,  and  I  was  engaged  to  ascer 
tain  if  the  suspicions  were  correctly  founded.  Mac 
Donnell  was  then  living  with  a  beautiful  young  lady 
whom  he  represented  as  his  wife,  in  a  commodious 
residence  in  Brooklyn.  I  immediately  arranged  that 
one  of  my  female  operatives  should  make  the  acquaint 
ance  of  the  reputed  Mrs.  MacDonnell,  which  she  did 
so  successfully  that  before  many  days,  my  operative 
and  her  husband,  who  was  also  engaged  on  my  force, 
were  domiciled  beneath  the  roof  of  the  suspected 
man. 

MacDonnell,  it  was  soon  learned,  was  in  arrears 
for  two  months'  rent,  and  just  before  the  day  for  pay 
ment  arrived,  he  suggested  a  trip  to  Boston  with  my 
operative,  and  accompanied  by  their  respective  wives, 
they  departed.  When  the  owner  went  to  the  house 
to  demand  his  rent,  he  found  no  one  there  but  the 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  425 

servant,  who  informed  him  of  the  departure  of  his 
tenant.  An  examination  of  the  house  was  made, 
which  revealed  the  fact  that  nearly  all  of  the  rooms 
were  unfurnished.  Upon  the  return  of  MacDonnell 
and  his  friend  from  Boston,  they  engaged  rooms  at 
one  of  the  hotels  in  the  city,  and  here  they  were 
found  by  the  owner  of  the  house  who  had  procured 
an  order  for  his  arrest,  as  an  absconding  debtor.  As 
the  officer  entered  his  room,  and  informed  him  that 
he  was  a  prisoner,  MacDonnell  turned  deathly  pale, 
and  inquired  nervously,  the  charge  for  which  he  was 
to  answer. 

On  being  informed  that  it  was  to  anwer  the  suit 
of  his  landlord,  he  instantly  recovered  himself,  and 
requested  the  officer  to  accompany  him  to  the  room 
of  my  operative,  who  guaranteed  the  payment,  which 
was  subsequently  made,  and  the  man  was  released. 
This  act  of  kindness  led  to  a  close  confidence  between 
MacDonnell  and  the  detective,  and  the  result  was  the 
disclosure  that  he  had  stolen  the  diamonds,  and  still 
had  them  in  his  possession.  He  was  accused  of  the 
crime  and  made  a  full  confession,  and  upon  returning 
the  diamonds,  the  parties  who  were  robbed,  refused 
to  prosecute  him,  and  he  was  released. 

From  that  time,  while  in  America  he  was  con 
stantly  under  the  surveillance  of  the  detectives,  and 
police  authorities.  His  handiwork  could  be  traced 


426  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

in  numerous  swindles  which  were  perpetrated  upon 
dry-goods  houses  and  banking  firms,  but  the  offi 
cers  were  always  baffled  in  their  attempts  to  catch 
him  in  the  actual  commission  of  any  offense.  He 
seemed  to  be  perfectly  informed  of  all  the  technicali 
ties  of  criminal  law,  and  so  adroitly  did  he  manage 
his  affairs,  that  it  was  impossible  to  legally  convict 
him.  At  one  time  he  was  arrested  for  passing  a 
spurious  fifty  dollar  check  for  payment  of  a  hotel 
bill,  but  the  proprietors  refused  to  prosecute,  and  he 
escaped.  On  another  occasion,  he  went  to  a  whole 
sale  liquor  store,  and  purchased  sixty-three  dollars 
worth  of  brandy,  representing  that  it  was  for  Con 
gressman  S.  S.  Cox.  tie  presented  in  payment  a 
one  hundred  dollar  note,  and  requested  a  check  for 
thirty-seven  dollars  in  change.  He  received  the 
check  and  made  an  exact  imitation  of  it,  except  that 
the  new  production  called  for  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars.  By  some  means,  the  bank  officials  were  ap 
prised  of  the  fraud,  and  when  the  check  was  presented 
MacDonnell's  messenger  was  arrested.  MacDonnell 
himself  was  subsequently  arrested,  but  his  tracks 
were  two  well  covered,  to  prove  him  to  be  the  forger, 
and  he  again  escaped  the  penalties  of  the  law. 

At  one  time  he  attempted  to  swindle  the  banking 
firm  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  out  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  thousand  dollars  in  United  States  bonds.  The 


FOXGEtfS    AND     FORGING.  427 

banking  house  was  visited  by  an  elegantly  dressed 
gentleman,  who  gave  the  name  as  J.  W.  Kenney, 
who  stated  that  he  was  a  lawyer  whose  office  was  in 
close  proximity  to  the  banker's,  and  that  he  was  the 
executor  of  a  large  estate  in  New  Jersey.  He 
expressed  his  desire  to  invest  one  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  dollars  in  government  bonds  for  the  benefit 
of  the  minor  heirs  of  the  estate.  He  ordered  the 
bonds  sent  to  his  office,  saying  that  they  would  be 
paid  for  there  with  a  certified  check  on  the  National 
Park  Bank. 

He  was  in  negotiation  with  the  banking  house  for 
several  days,  but  the  detectives  had  received  intelli 
gence  that  the  intended  purchase  was  a  swindle,  and 
made  arrangements  to  secure  Kenney's  capture. 
Kenney,  however,  took  alarm  from  some  cause  and 
did  not  wait  for  the  bonds  to  be  delivered  to  him, 
but  suddenly  disappeared.  His  plan,  as  afterwards 
discovered,  was  to  have  two  checks — one  of  them  a 
forgery  for  the  full  amount  of  the  purchase  money, 
and  the  other  a  genuine  one  for  a  small  amount. 
When  the  messenger  from  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.  arrived 
at  his  office  with  the  bonds,  he  had  intended  to  get 
him  to  accompany  him  to  the  bank  to  have  the  check 
certified.  At  the  bank  he  would  have  the  good  check 
certified  before  the  messenger,  and  then  get  the  latter 
to  return  with  him  to  his  office  under  the  pretense 


428  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

that  he  was  afraid  to  carry  the  bonds  himself.  On 
the  way  he  was  to  substitute  the  forged  check  for  the 
one  that  had  been  certified  and  so  pass  it  off  in  pay 
ment  for  the  bonds.  This  was  discovered  after  Mac- 
Donnell  had  been  arrested  for  the  Bank  of  England 
forgery,  when  he  was  identified  as  the  man  who  had 
attempted  to  personate  the  J.  W.  Kenney  in  the  above 
case.  As  he  had  not  committed  any  overt  act,  Jay 
Cooke  &  Co.  were  unable  to  prosecute  him. 

In  the  fall  of  1871,  MacDonnell  purchased 
twenty-three  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  goods  from 
Arnold,  Constable  &  Co.  under  the  name  of  Edward 
Johnson.  He  represented  to  them  that  he  owned  a 
large  store  in  the  west,  and  that  he  would  send  a 
check  for  the  goods  if  he  was  not  able  to  call  himself. 
On  the  day  following,  a  carman  called  at  the  store  of 
Arnold,  Constable  &  Co.,  and  presented  a  letter 
which  was  written  on  the  bill  head  paper  of  a  respect 
able  firm,  and  which  purported  to  be  signed  by  them, 
stating  that  Mr.  Johnson  had  left  the  city,  and  that 
they  had  been  requested  to  forward  the  goods  to 
him,  together  with  some  others  which  they  had  sold. 
Enclosed  in  the  letter  wras  a  check  for  the  amount  of 
the  bill.  The  goods  were  then  delivered,  and  the 
swindled  firm  learned,  when  too  late,  that  the  check 
was  utterly  worthless  and  a  forgery.  MacDonnell 
was  arrested  for  this  attempt  at  swindling,  but  as 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  429 

there  was  no  one  to  swear  that  he  was  the  forger,  he 
was  released. 

A  large  lace  importing  firm  were  the  last  victims 
of  MacDonnell,  prior  to  his  departure  for  Europe. 
He  succeeded  in  this  case,  in  obtaining  laces  to  the 
amount  of  two  thousand  dollars,  by  the  same  tactics 
which  he  pursued  in  the  case  of  Arnold,  Constable  & 
Co.  He  was  arrested  however,  for  this  offense,  with 
the  laces  still  in  his  possession,  but  again  evaded 
punishment  by  some  ingenious  legal  technicality. 

Soon  after  this  he  went  to  Europe  and  remained 
for  a  time  in  Germany,  where  he  managed  to  success 
fully  swindle  a  number  of  merchants,  and  by  that 
means  obtained  the  large  sum  of  money  which  en 
abled  him  to  so  completely  win  the  confidence  of  the 
exceedingly  cautious  officers  of  the  Bank  of  England, 
and  eventually  to  carry  out  the  gigantic  forgeries 
upon  that  institution. 

After  his  arrest  for  this  forgery,  which  took  place 
in  New  York,  he  was  placed  in  the  custody  of  the 
United  States  authorities,  and  he  was  taken  to  Fort 
Columbus  in  the  harbor  of  New  York,  for  safe-keeping 
until  the  following  day.  That  night  was  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  the  season — the  moon  shone  brill 
iantly,  lighting  up  the  harbor  for  miles,  and  enabling 
one  to  view  the  broad  expanse  of  glistening  water 
that  surrounded  them. 


430  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

About  nine  o'clock  a  small  boat  containing  two 
men  was  observed  by  the  sentry,  seemingly  drifting 
toward  Governor's  Island.  It  stopped  just  under  the 
walls  of  the  fort,  and  the  occupants  waited  there  for 
an  hour  conversing  in  low  tones  with  the. soldiers  on 
guard.  MacDonnell  stepped  outside  to  the  closet 
several  times,  in  company  with  the  officers,  and  each 
time  he  gazed  anxiously  in  the  direction  of  the  boat. 
Whatever  may  have  been  his  intentions  that  night, 
they  were  not  carried  out,  for  the  vigilance  of  his 
guard  was  never  relaxed  for  a  moment,  and  at  a  late 
hour  the  boat  was  rowed  away  and  MacDonnell  was 
compelled  to  retire  within  the  fort.  A  few  days  after 
ward,  however,  a  person  who  had  been  very  solicitous 
about  MacDonnell  while  he  was  in  confinement,  in 
quired  of  the  officer  if  he  had  noticed  anything 
strange  about  the  fort  on  the  night  that  MacDonnell 
was  there.  The  marshal  mentioned  the  circum 
stance  of  the  boat,  and  he  was  then  informed  that 
the  vessel  had  been  sent  there  for  the  purpose  of  at 
tempting  to  effect  the  rescue  of  the  imprisoned 
forger.  The  sentinels,  it  was  asserted,  had  been  paid 
fifty  dollars  each  not  to  fire  at  him  so  as  to  hit  him, 
in  case  he  should  jump  into  the  water  and  attempt  to 
swim  to  the  boat  ;  but  MacDonnell  was  afraid  that 
the  marshal,  who  was  directly  responsible  for  him, 


FORGERS    AND     FORGING.  431 

might  aim  more  accurately  than  the  soldiers,  and 
hence  the  attempt  was  not  made. 

George  MacDonnell  was  never  married,  although 
in  his  long  and  varied  career,  several  women  have 
taken  his  name.  He  was  possessed  of  great  natural 
advantages,  and  could  be  very  winning  when  he 
chose.  He  was  tall,  and  well-proportioned,  and  was 
a  remarkably  handsome  man.  He  wore  a  long,  wav 
ing  dark  brown  beard  and  his  complexion  was  as  fair 
as  a  woman's.  His  voice  was  soft  and  rich,  and  his 
powers  of  conversation  were  remarkably  attractive. 
He  was  a  brilliant  linguist,  and  while  he  was  impris 
oned  in  Ludlow  Street  Jail,  he  acted  as  an  interpreter 
for  a  Chinaman  and  for  the  famous  Carl  Vogt,  the 
Belgian  valet  who  was  charged  with  the  murder  of 
the  Count  Du  Bois  de  Bianco. 

At  last,  however,  justice  overtook  him,  and  now 
under  the  life-sentence  of  a  criminal,  he  is  suffering 
the  stings  of  anguished  conscience  and  the  hard  phys 
ical  drudgery  of  the  branded  convict. 

Family,  education,  personal  appearance,  and  great 
business  qualifications  were  all  sacrificed  at  the  bid 
ding  of  crime,  and  the  malefactor  is  now  suffering  the 
severe  penalties  of  the  outraged  law. 


432  FORGERS    AND     FORGING. 

A  FORGER  OF  TWO  CONTINENTS. 

IN  the  criminal  history  of  the  present  day  no  man 
attained  a  more  widespread  reputation  as  an  accom 
plished,  daring  and  expert  criminal  than  William 
Ringgold  Cooper  who  attained  a  wide  celebrity  both 
in  America  and  England  for  his  wonderful  deeds  of 
forgery.  Certainly  no  man  has  ever  sustained  the 
dual  character  of  a  gentleman  and  a  forger  with  equal 
success.  Young,  accomplished,  of  elegant  personal 
appearance,  and  of  the  most  fascinating  address, 
William  R.  Cooper  might  have  adorned  any  station 
in  society,  and  yet  for  years,  under  various  and  almost 
undetectable  disguises,  he  preyed  upon  his  best  friends, 
and  the  world  at  large,  until  in  the  fullness  of  his 
success,  he  imagined  failure  or  detection  impossible. 
This  young  man  was  born  in  Smyrna,  Del.,  of  respect 
able  family,  his  father  having  been  a  county  judge  for 
five  years,  and  regarded  with  the  highest  esteem  by  all 
of  his  friends  and  associates.  Owing  to  a  scandal 
with  which  the  name  of  a  young  lady  of  his  native 
city  was  connected,  young  Cooper  resigned  his  posi 
tion  in  the  Smyrna  National  Bank,  and  disappeared. 
The  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  found  him  an  en 
listed  member  of  United  States  Navy,  and  after  two 
years'  service,  he  became  an  ensign  on  the  staff  of 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  433 

Admiral  Lee,  of  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron.  By 
his  engaging  manners  and  strict  attention  to  his  duties, 
he  became  a  great  favorite  among  his  superior  officers, 
and  through  their  influence  he  was  appointed  an  assis 
tant  paymaster  in  the  Navy. 

While  in  Washington,  he  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  a  number  of  gamblers  and  accomplished  forgers, 
who  soon  instructed  him  into  the  methods  and  mys 
teries  of  aristocratic  crime.  As  a  consequence  of 
this  course  of  study,  he  forged  a  warrant  for  $175,000 
purporting  to  have  been  signed  by  U.  S.  Paymaster 
Spaulding.  At  the  time  of  this  forgery  he  was 
engaged  to  be  married  to  a  beautiful  and  accomplished 
young  lady,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Defrees,  the  Govern 
ment  Printer,  and  the  forgery  of  the  paymaster's  war 
rant  was  not  discovered  until  the  day  after  the  wed 
ding  ceremony  had  been  performed.  Cooper  was 
immediately  arrested  and  sentenced  to  five  years' 
imprisonment  in  the  Eastern  Penitentiary  of  Penn 
sylvania,  which  time  he  faithfully  served.  It  was 
generally  supposed  that  he  died  in  prison,  but  upon 
his  release  he  went  to  New  Orleans,  where,  undis 
mayed  by  his  first  experience,  he  perpetrated  another 
successful  forgery  for  $45,000,  and  then  fled  to  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  where  he  became  a  mining,  stock,  and 
gold  broker. 

While  in   San   Francisco,    his    own    wife    having 
19 


434  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

married  again,  supposing  him  to  be  dead,  he  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  a  handsome  and  clever  woman, 
to  whom  he  was  married  and  who  clung  steadfastly 
to  her  erring  husband,  through  all  the  varying  for 
tunes  of  his  future  career. 

For  a  brief  season  Cooper  maintained  an  enviable 
reputation  in  the  San  Francisco  Exchange,  but  the 
crash  soon  came,  and  he  absconded  after  having 
forged  a  check  for  $60,000  upon  his  business  partner. 
In  this  transaction,  singular  as  it  may  seem,  as  well  as 
in  all  his  other  criminal  transactions,  he  employed  the 
services  of  a  boy  to  cash  the  forged  check  and  to  hand 
him  the  proceeds.  An  investigation  followed  imme 
diately  after  this  forgery  was  discovered,  but  no 
information  was  ever  gained  of  William  Cooper,  his 
wife  Kate,  or  the  boy  Fred  Caul  and  their  disappear 
ance  was  as  effectual  as  it  had  been  mysterious. 

Nothing  was  heard  of  Cooper  until  his  arrest  in 
London,  under  the  name  of  Neville  Hunter,  in  the 
summer  of  1879,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  had 
taken  no  pains  to  live  in  seclusion,  or  to  avert  curi 
osity. 

On  leaving  California  he  went  to  London,  arriv 
ing  there  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  instead  of  registering 
at  the  Langham  Hotel,  he  engaged  apartments  for 
himself  and  wife  in  a  private  hotel  near  the  Strand. 
Here  he  gave  the  name  of  Henry  C.  Neville,  an 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  435 

American  iron  merchant,  and  a  manufacturer  of  mow 
ing  machines.  After  remaining  a  short  time  in  this 
hotel,  he  negotiated  with  a  firm  of  solicitors  for  the 
lease  of  East  Lodge,  a  beautiful  country  seat,  with 
spacious  grounds,  at  Hemel-Hempstead,  in  Hereford 
shire.  He  obtained  possession  of  this  estate  at  a 
heavy  yearly  rental,  and  set  up  his  carriage  and 
horses,  maintaining  a  half  dozen  servants  in  his  es 
tablishment.  He  owned  his  stud  of  hunters,  rode  to 
hounds  with  the  country  'squires,  and  by  various 
processes  he  secured  the  friendship  and  acquaintance 
of  the  surrounding  gentry  and  their  families,  with 
whom  he  and  his  wife  became  speedily  very  intimate, 
and  general  favorites. 

This  intimacy  he  turned  to  good  account,  and  by 
inviting  them  to  dinners  and  receptions,  and  receiv 
ing  their  replies,  he  familiarized  himself  with  the  char 
acter  of  their  handwriting,  and  forged  checks  on  their 
bankers  in  London.  On  June  28th,  1878,  he  sent  a 
boy  to  the  Bank  of  England  with  a  forged  check  for 
^400,  purporting  to  have  been  made  by  Hugh  Chee- 
ver  Goodwin,  of  Hemel-Hempstead.  The  clerk  of 
the  bank,  however,  suspected  the  forgery,  and  hurried 
out  with  the  boy,  only  to  find  that  Cooper  was  being 
driven  rapidly  away  in  his  carriage,  having  changed 
his  reversible  coat,  and  removed  the  false  whiskers  he 
wore  when  he  hired  the  messenger.  In  all  his  crimes 


436  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

of  this  nature  he  stood  above  the  other  Anglo-Amer 
ican  forgers,  from  the  fact  that  he  never  appeared  in 
any  public  place  in  London  except  at  the  opera,  and 
that,  unlike  MacDonnell  and  the  Bidwells,  the  Bank 
of  England  forgers,  he  never  associated  with  aban 
doned  women,  or  conducted  himself  in  any  other 
manner  than  that  of  a  thorough  gentleman  and  man 
of  the  world. 

Too  much  success,  however,  made  Cooper  over 
confident,  and  he  began  to  evince  signs  of  careless 
ness  in  his  work.  At  last,  he  presented  to  Glynn, 
Mills  &  Co.,  Bankers,  a  check  for  ^3956  9$  6d.,  which 
was  duly  honored,  and  he  would  have  escaped  without 
detection,  but,  hearing  that  he  was  suspected,  he  re 
turned  to  the  bank,  and,  with  supreme  audacity, 
demanded  of  the  bankers  to  know  why  they  presumed 
to  doubt  his  honesty.  He  was  at  once  arrested,  and 
was  identified  by  the  boy  he  had  employed,  and  by 
the  cabman,  and  the  barber  who  had  made  his  false 
wig  and  whiskers. 

He  was  arraigned  for  trial,  and  his  neighbors  and 
friends  from  Hemel-Hempstead,  testified  with  tears 
in  their  eyes,  that  they  could  not  believe  him  to  be 
dishonest,  but  finding  that  the  evidence  against  him 
was  overwhelming,  Cooper  pleaded  guilty  to  both  of 
the  charges  of  forgery. 

While  in  England  he  made,  but  one  fatal  mistake, 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  437 

and  that  was  to  have  his  photograph  taken,  and  a 
copy  of  this  speaking  portrait  was  sent  to  my  agency 
for  identification  ;  should  therefore  his  trial  in  London 
have  proved  a  failure,  I  was  prepared  with  extradi 
tion-papers  to  bring  him  to  America  to  answer  for 
his  crimes  here,  but  having  pleaded  guilty  there,  his 
punishment  was  meted  out  to  him  by  the  English 
court. 

Perhaps  the  saddest  commentary  upon  the  life  of 
this  unfortunate  young  man  and  a  fit  illustration  of 
his  hypocrisy  are  the  words  which  came  from  his  own 
lips  when  he  was  called  up  for  sentence  : 

"  I  am  by  birth  and  education  a  gentleman,"  said 
he.  "  When  I  took  the  house  at  Hemel-Hempstead,  I 
thought  I  could  honestly  maintain  it,  I  furnished  it 
for  the  sake  of  my  wife.  We  garnished  that  house 
with  hopeful  anticipation.  Every  article  it  contained, 
every  flower  in  its  windows,  was  arranged  by  my 
wife's  loving  hands,  and  we  cherished  the  fond  ex 
pectation  that  there  we  should  happily  spend  the  re 
mainder  of  our  days.  I  met  with  reverses,  however, 
and  was  ashamed  to  look  my  wife  in  the  face.  I  was 
tempted  and  I  fell."  And  here  the  prisoner's  head 
sunk  on  his  breast,  and  he  wept  aloud.  "  My  crime 
is  the  greater,"  he  continued  after  a  pause,  "  because 
my  wife  would  have  followed  me  to  the  end  of  the 
earth,  and  would  have  shared  my  last  crust  of  bread 


438  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

in  poverty.  I  have  now  lost  hope,  future,  honor, 
everything,  but  a  sense  of  shame  which  will  follow 
me  forever." 

This  was  very  dramatic,  very  pathetic  and  ex 
ceedingly  effective,  but  every  word  was  known  to  be 
false,  and  the  court  sentenced  him  to  five  years'  penal 
servitude. 


CONCLUSION. 

THE  incidents  I  have  above  related,  which  are 
but  a  few  of  the  many,  that  have  come  under  my 
notice  during  the  thirty  years  of  my  detective  life, 
comprise  some  of  the  more  important  operations  of 
the  expert  forgers,  who  have  from  time  to  time  plied 
their  vocation  in  the  United  States.  In  addition  to 
these,  however,  there  is  a  numerous  class  of  forgeries 
in  which  no  attempt  is  made  upon  the  banks,  or  the 
moneyed  institutions  of  the  country,  and  which  are, 
in  the  main,  perpetrated  by  skillful  and  unscrupulous 
amateurs  who  have  sought  to  realize  at  one  bold 
stroke  the  benefit  of  years  of  toil  and  economy. 

One  of  the  prominent  illustrations  of  this  species 
of  crime,  was  the  celebrated  Whitaker  will  case,  in 
which  an  attempt  was  made  to  defraud  the  heirs  of 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  439 

an  aged  and  miserly  millionaire  in  Philadelphia  a  few 
years  ago.  In  this  case  the  parties  to  the  forgery 
were  an  aged  and  hitherto  respectable  lawyer,  who 
had  for  years  been  the  confidential  adviser  and  coun 
selor  of  the  deceased,  and  three  other  men  whom  he 
had  selected  for  his  purposes,  to  forge  the  seals  and 
to  sign  fictitious  names  of  witnesses.  This  was  one 
of  the  best  planned  and  carefully  executed  forgeries 
with  which  the  courts  have  had  to  deal,  and  many 
months  were  spent  in  the  investigation  and  trial 
which  finally  ended  in  conviction.  The  attorney,  by 
reason  of  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  business 
habits  and  characteristics  of  Mr.  Robert  Whitaker, 
the  testator,  and  from  the  fact  that  he  had  actually 
drawn  the  genuine  will,  and  had  it  confided  to  his 
keeping,  was  enabled  to  work  with  every  advantage 
in  his  favor.  The  forged  will  which  was  offered  for 
probate  was  written  upon  the  same  paper  as  that  of 
the  original,  and  the  signature  of  Robert  Whitaker, 
the  testator,  was  so  perfectly  imitated,  that  many 
intimate  friends  of  the  deceased  testified  to  its 
genuineness.  The  signatures  of  the  subscribing  wit 
nesses  were  perfect,  and  upon  its  face  the  will 
appeared  to  be  thoroughly  genuine  and  worthy  of 
acceptance.  But  the  attorney  had  been  too  grasping  ; 
under  the  terms  of  this  forged  will  he  had  sought  to 
obtain  the  lion's  share  of  the  miser's  wealth,  while  his 


440  FORGERS    AND    FORGING. 

family  were  left  with  scarcely  the  legal  allowance  as 
their  part  and  share  in  the  estate.  This  fact  led  to 
suspicion,  and  suspicion  led  to  inquiry.  My  investi 
gations  in  this  case  extended  over  a  long  period  of 
time  ;  more  than  twenty  operatives  were  engaged  at 
various  times,  and  a  large  sum  of  money  was 
expended,  but  in  the  end,  the  base  designs  of  the 
forgers  were  fully  exposed,  and  their  schemes  utterly 
defeated,  while  the  principals  found  themselves  behind 
iron  bars  as  a  penalty  for  their  evil-doing.  By  an 
ingenious  and  scientific  course  of  investigation  we 
were  able  to  determine,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  the 
paper  on  which  this  forged  will  was  written,  was  not 
really  manufactured  for  some  months  after  the  date 
on  which  the  will  purported  to  be  executed.  It  is 
true  it  was  manufactured  by  the  same  firm,  from  the 
same  materials,  bore  the  same  trade-mark,  and  was 
intended  to  be  the  same  paper  in  every  respect,  but 
it  was  ascertained  that  by  some  little  derangement  in 
the  setting  of  the  machine  which  ruled  the  lines  upon 
the  paper,  there  had  been  caused  a  scarcely  noticeable 
difference  in  the  two  papers.  This  once  proved,  it 
became  necessary  to  more  fully  establish  the  question 
of  a  conspiracy  to  defraud,  and  finally,  one  of  the 
parties  to  the  forgery  was  induced  to  disclose  the 
whole  affair,  and  the  entire  scheme  of  these  unscrupu 
lous  men  was  fully  divulged.  In  the  end  the  fraudu- 


FORGERS    AND    FORGING.  441 

lent  will  was  set  aside,  the  heirs  came  legally  into 
their  estate,  and  the  guilty  forgers  were  condemned 
to  imprisonment. 

Several  instances  have  occurred  in  which  design 
ing  women  have  forged  or  caused  to  be  forged  mar 
riage  certificates,  through  which  they  endeavored  to 
lay  claim  to  the  property  of  wealthy  men  who  died, 
by  attempting  to  prove  that  they  were  the  widows 
of  the  decedents,  and  thus  entitled  to  their  legal 
dower  in  the  estates  of  their  deceased  husbands. 
Deeds  of  title  to  real  estate,  bills  of  sale,  orders  for 
the  payment  of  money,  and  receipts  of  payment,  have 
all  been  forged  by  dishonest  persons,  who  have 
attempted  to  defraud  the  community  and  enrich  them 
selves  by  their  nefarious  actions. 

Altogether  forgery  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
of  crimes,  and  the  amount  of  money  thus  unlawfully 
obtained,  if  it  could  be  correctly  computed,  would 
startle  the  community  with  its  enormity.  I  am  happy 
to  state,  however,  that  in  every  case  of  this  character, 
in  which  I  have  been  engaged,  I  have  invariably 
succeeded  in  discovering  the  perpetrators  of  the 
fraud,  and  in  a  large  majority  of  instances,  I  have 
recovered  the  major  portion  of  the  amounts  thus 
illegally  obtained. 


COUNTERFEITING   AND  COUNTER 
FEITERS. 


Queer  Coins  and  Laws  of  Ancient  Nations. — A  Counterfeiter  of 
Millions. — A  Genius  among  Counterfeiters. — A  Hero  of 
Balaklava  as  a  Counterfeiter. — A  Prince  among  Counter 
feiters. — A  Thrilling  existence. — Lesser  Lights. — A  Trio  of 
Criminal  Artists. 

EVER  since  the  existence  of  man,  human  inge 
nuity  has  been  taxed  to  devise  means  of  ex 
change  between  individuals  and  communities.  Barter 
and  sale,  trade  and  exchange,  are  as  old  as  humanity 
itself,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  interest  to  note  the  various 
materials  and  commodities,  which  have  in  former 
times,  in  all  portions  of  the  globe,  served  as  a  medium 
of  communication.  The  purposes  which  money 
is  serving,  have  been  served  in  different  countries 
and  in  different  ages,  by  a  variety  of  products,  accord 
ing  to  the  tastes  and  the  circumstances  of  the  people. 
Cattle  have  been  employed  as  money  among  pastoral 


COUNTERFEITERS.  443 

people  in  almost  all  periods  of  the  world,  and  are 
still  employed  for  this  purpose  in  Africa.  Slaves 
served  the  same  uses  among  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and 
wampum  among  the  American  Indians.  Nails  in 
Scotland,  stamped  leather  among  the  Carthagenians, 
salt  in  Abyssinia,  and  cod-fish  in  Massachusetts, 
have  all  done  duty  as  money  in  the  absence  of  a 
general  standard.  Bark  stamped  with  the  sovereign 
in  China,  platina  in  Russia,  copper,  simple  or  com 
pounded  with  other  metals,  among  the  ancient  Ro 
mans,  and  most  other  nations,  and  iron  among  the 
Spartans,  have  at  various  times  been  received  as  the 
equivalent  of  values  which  were  regularly  determined 
upon  the  basis  of  the  nature  of  the  return.  * 

At  length,  civilized  nations  sooner  or  later  adopted 

*Thus  it  is  written  that  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  furnished  to 
King  Solomon  a  certain  quantity  of  cedars  from  Lebanon,  and 
Solomon,  in  return,  furnished  to  the  Tyrians  a  certain 
quantity  of  wheat  and  oil. 

Abraham,  in  the  olden  time,  purchased  the  famous  cave 
and  field  of  Macpelah,  for  which  he  weighed  out  four  hundred 
shekels  of  silver,  current  money,  with  the  merchant,  and  this 
is  the  first  record  we  have  of  a  monetary  transaction  of  any 
kind  whatever.  The  shekel  in  those  days  was  about  half 
an  ounce  in  English  avordupois  weight,  and  the  value  of 
the  com  was  two  shillings  seven  pence.  There  were  two 
standards  of  the  shekel — namely,  the  shekel  of  the  sanctuary, 
which  was  used  in  calculating  the  offerings  of  the  temple, 
and  all  sums  connected  with  the  sacred  law,  and  the  royal  or 
profane  shekel,  used  for  all  civil  payments. 


444  CO  UN  TERFEITERS. 

and  are  still  using  gold  and  silver  as  the  medium 
of  commercial  exchange  and  as  the  proper  standard 
of  value. 

It  must  be  acknowledged,  that  of  all  the  products 
mentioned  above  the  last  two  have  shown  themselves 
to  be  the  best  adopted  for  the  purposes  of  money, 
and  consequently  have  come  into  universal  use  in  the 
commercial  world. 

Experience  has  not  only  demonstrated  the 
superiority  of  these  metals  over  all  other  forms  of 
money,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  of  their  universal 
adoption,  but  reason  also  is  able  to  tell  us  why  gold 
and  silver  are  the  best  money.  On  account  of  their 
comparatively  unchangeable  value,  the  uniform  cost 
of  production  and  their  fluency,  they  become  the 
standard  of  value,  and  when  in  cases  of  wars  and  other 
emergencies  nations  are  compelled  to  issue  a  paper 
currency,  or  certificates  of  indebtedness,  the  value  of 
this  currency  and  these  certificates  is  predicated  upon 
the  standard  value  of  the  gold  and  the  silver  dollar. 
A  dollar  is  a  tangible  commodity,  a  dollar-bill  is  a 
promise  to  give  this  commodity  to  bearer.  Paper 
money,  then,  always  has  in  it  the  element  of  credit, 
while  the  golden  money  has  in  it  only  the  element  of 
present  and  actual  value. 

However  these  facts  may  be,  it  is  equally  true 
that  for  the  purposes  of  convenience  in  trade,  and  to 


CO  UNTERFEI TERS.  445 

enable  governments  and  individuals  to  meet  financial 
obligations,  the  paper  dollar,  and  the  certificate  of  in 
debtedness,  become  for  the  time  being  and  for  all 
practical  business  purposes,  a  good,  marketable  and 
exchangeable  medium  of  commerce,  at  the  value  of 
one  hundred  cents,  when  relative  values  have  deter 
mined  its  proper  standard.  For  centuries  and  in  all 
countries  the  issuing,  both  of  the  metal  money  and 
the  paper  currency,  has  been  indorsed  and  accepted  by 
the  people,  and  from  the  time  that  money  was  invented 
there  have  existed  men  who  sought  to  pervert  its  use 
and  to  imitate  its  worth.  With  the  advent  of  money 
the  counterfeiter  made  his  appearance,  and  as  both 
have  artistically  advanced,  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
of  spurious  currencies  must  be  apparent  to  every 
thinking  mind.  Counterfeiting  at  the  present  day  is 
literally  one  of  the  advanced  arts.  From  the  earliest 
age  the  art  and  practice  of  counterfeiting  has  always 
demanded  skill  and  audacity,  and  it  naturally  partakes 
of  the  general  progress  of  the  age.  It  therefore  of 
necessity  becomes  more  and  more  able  and  artful,  as 
the  multiplication  of  checks  and  the  sharpness  of  dis 
crimination  increase.  It  is  no  longer  the  common 
"  shover  of  the  queer,"  as  he  is  called  in  police  circles, 
who  is  the  worst  and  most  dangerous  pirate  upon  the 
monetary  seas,  for  behind  these  vulgar  fellows,  who 
are  merely  brazen  and  dexterous,  and  who  are  daily 


446  COUNTERFEITERS. 

being  apprehended,  there  stands  an  organization 
composed  of  men  of  actual  genius  and  of  unbounded 
resources.  These  men  take  the  lead  and  utilize  the 
skill  of  unscrupulous  artists  and  engravers  of  the 
highest  order  of  merit,  and  when  fully  prepared  make 
their  assaults  upon  the  Commonwealth  with  all  the 
combined  subtlety  of  a  Gortchakoff  and  concentrated 
energy  of  a  Bismarck. 

The  trained  and  faithful  detective,  who  is  called 
upon,  in  the  performance  of  duty,  to  match  his  skill 
against  the  educated  rogue,  just  as  he  must  face  the 
bullet  and  the  knife  of  the  degraded  and  ignorant 
ruffian,  is  often  most  painfully  reminded  how  little 
mere  education,  or  the  restraints  of  high  social  posi 
tion,  with  correct  moral  discipline,  and  the  true  de 
velopment  of  high  personal  integrity,  can  do  for  the 
public  safety.  In  the  game  of  sharps,  the  advantage, 
at  the  outset,  is  with  the  depredator,  and  although 
the  officer  pursues  the  lawbreaker  to  a  prison  or  the 
grave  at  last,  it  is  often  a  stern  chase  in  which  it  is 
the  moral  stamina  of  the  detective  alone  that  gives 
the  superlative  pluck  and  endurance  that  wins  the 
desperate  race.  It  is  literally,  a  battle  of  life  or  death 
in  almost  every  case,  and  yet  it  is  the  universal  price 
that  must  be  paid  for  even  comparative  public  safety. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  to  a  certain  extent, 
the  general  public  lend  material  aid  to  the  counter- 


COUNTERFEITERS.  447 

feiters  by  too  great  ignorance,  and  an  almost  crimi 
nal  carelessness.  They  do  not,  as  a  rule,  take  the 
pains  necessary  to  become  good  judges  of  current 
money,  and  if  they  happen  to  receive  a  bill  or  note 
which  afterwards  excites  their  doubts,  they  make  haste 
to  dispose  of  the  suspicious  exchange,  rather  than 
bear  the  burden  of  the  loss  which  would  be  entailed 
upon  them  by  determining  the  question  of  its  genuine 
ness.  There  are  too  many  persons  who  are  like  the 
ingenious  store-keeper,  who  received  in  the  course  of 
his  business  a  note,  about  which  he  was  not  altogether 
satisfied.  As  he  explained  the  situation — "  One  day 
I  thought  it  was  good  and  the  next  day  I  would  think 
it  was  bad,  and  so  on  one  of  the  days  when  I  thought 
it  was  good,  I  just  passed  it  out  in  change,  and  that 
relieved  me  from  any  further  trouble."  As  long 
therefore  as  people  who  would  indignantly  repudiate 
the  imputation  of  fraud,  and  who  claim  to  be  highly 
respectable,  are  willing  to  connive  at  felonious  crime, 
to  take  and  pass  bad  bills,  there  can  be  but  little 
improvement  expected  in  the  general  condition  of  the 
body  politic  with  reference  to  the  subject  of  counter 
feiters.  Of  course  this  is  not  generally  the  case,  but 
instances  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  warrant  the 
expressions  I  have  used. 

The  Government  deals  with  an  iron  hand  when 
counterfeiters  are  detected,  and  the  strictest  and  most 


448  CO  UN  TERFETTERS. 

unrelenting  justice  is  meted  out  to  those  who  manu 
facture  and  deal  in  spurious  money  of  all  kinds,  and 
it  is  to  the  almost  superhuman  efforts  of  the  detec 
tive,  that  the  public  are  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
comparative  safety  which  has  been  thus  secured. 

As  early  as  the  year  1721,  the  government  of 
Great  Britain  pronounced  itself  against  counterfeiting 
and  in  that  year  the  first  execution  for  counterfeiting 
occurred.  According  to  the  nature  of  the  times,  this 
punishment  was  cruel  in  the  extreme,  but  the  law 
prescribed  the  penalty  and  it  was  carried  into  force 
and  effect.  On  that  occasion  the  victim  was  a  woman 
named  Barbara  Spencer,  and  after  a  due  and  formal 
trial,  she  was  convicted  of  "  high  treason,  in  counter 
feiting  the  King's  current  coin  of  the  realm." 

The  law  which  existed  at  that  time  was  that 
women  convicted  of  high  or  petit  treason,  should  be 
publicly  burned,  but  in  this  case  the  wisdom  and 
humanity  of  the  authorities  provided  a  more  easy 
death  for  the  unfortunate  culprit,  and  they  directed 
that  the  malefactor  should  be  strangled  while  tied  to 
the  stake,  and  that  the  body  should  be  afterwards 
consumed  by  fire.  The  decree  of  the  court  was  duly 
carried  out  at  Tyburn  on  the  5th  of  July,  1721. 

England,  with  two  hundred  years  of  ecclesiastical 
barbarism  for  example,  believing  there  could  be  no 
higher  crime  than  counterfeiting  the  coin  of  the  realm, 


CO  UNTERFE1 TERS.  449 

adopted  this  mode  of  execution,  and  until  the  thir 
teenth  year  of  the  reign  of  George  III.,  this  punish 
ment  was  also  inflicted  on  women  who  were  con 
victed  of  murdering  their  husbands,  which  crime  was 
denominated  petit  treason. 

The  Newgate  Calendar,  in  chronicling  this  first 
execution  for  counterfeiting  in  England,  states  that : 
"  This  is  the  first  case  on  record  in  which  any  per 
son  appears  to  have  been  executed  for  counterfeit 
ing  the  coin  of  the  realm.  The  punishment  for  this 
offense,  if  at  first,  of  necessity,  severe,  to  check  the 
alarming  prevalence  of  crime,  has  long  since  been 
mitigated  ;  and  although  the  evil  still  exists  to  a  great 
degree,  it  has  been  diminished  very  considerably  in 
consequence  of  the  judicious  steps  taken  by  the  of 
ficers  of  the  mint." 

On  the  Qth  day  of  June,  1731,  ten  years  later, 
another  public  display  was  made  in  Great  Britain,  in 
the  punishment  of  one  Japhet  Crook,  alias  St.  Peter 
Stronger.  This  malefactor  was  brought  to  the  pil 
lory  at  Charing  Cross,  to  answer  for  his  crimes  of 
forging  and  counterfeiting.  The  prisoner  was  com 
pelled  to  stand  for  one  hour  on  the  pillory,  in  the 
presence  of  a  jeering  multitude,  and  after  that  a 
chair  was  brought  for  him,  and  he  was  placed  there 
in.  The  hangman  then  approached  him  and  clipped 
off  both  his  ears,  after  which  a  surgeon  immediately 


450  COUNTERFEITERS. 

clapped  a  styptic  over  the  bleeding  stumps.  The  ex 
ecutioner  with  a  pair  of  scissors  then  cut  his  left  nos 
tril  twice  before  it  was  quite  through,  and  afterward 
cut  through  the  right  nostril  at  once.  The  prisoner 
exhibited  great  patience  and  fortitude,  but  when  in 
pursuance  of  his  sentence  his  right  nostril  was  severed 
with  a  red-hot  iron,  he  was  in  such  violent  pain  that 
his  left  nostril  was  let  alone,  and  he  was  then  taken 
from  the  pillory.  After  this  barbarous  performance, 
the  victim  was  conveyed  in  this  bleeding  and  man 
gled  condition,  back  to  the  King's  Bench  prison  there 
to  remain  for  life.  He  died  in  confinement  about 
three  years  afterward. 

These  are  only  two  instances,  which  even  in  those 
early  days  marked  the  determination  of  the  govern 
ment  to  put  a  stop  to  the  nefarious  practice  of  coun 
terfeiting  and  forging,  and  although  the  treatment  of 
both  victims  was  barbarous  in  the  extreme,  yet  even 
these  executions  fail  to  have  the  effect  desired. 
From  1797  to  1817  eight  hundred  and  five  persons 
were  convicted  of  either  forging  notes  of  the  Gover 
nor  and  Company  of  the  Bank  of  England,  or  for 
knowingly  uttering  or  possessing  such  forged  notes, 
knowing  them  to  be  forgeries,  and  nearly  ^250,000 
were  expended  by  the  crown  in  conducting  the  pros 
ecutions  of  these  criminals.  From  this  it  will  be  seen 
that  counterfeiting  is  no  new  science,  although  the 


CO  UNTERFE1 TERS.  45 1 

present  modes  of  operation  are  far  different  from 
those  practiced  in  the  early  days.  Despite  the  pros 
ecutions  and  the  punishments  of  centuries,  the  coun 
terfeiter  still  exists,  and  his  presence  in  the  commu 
nity  at  this  time  is,  if  anything,  far  more  dangerous 
and  pernicious  than  when  burning  and  maiming  were 
the  punishments  meted  out  to  the  offenders. 

In  our  own  country,  counterfeiting  was  practiced 
in  the  colonies  at  a  comparatively  early  day.  Turning 
to  the  records  of  the  olden  time,  we  find  that  in  Janu 
ary,  1773,  the  amount  of  counterfeit  money  in  circula 
tion  was  estimated  at  ,£8,000,  and  a  bill  was  presented 
to  the  Colonial  Legislature  to  remedy  the  evils  which 
this  fraud  inflicted  on  the  community.  The  currency 
thus  forged  was  colonial,  and  the  task  of  counterfeit 
ing  it  was  not  difficult,  as  the  genuine  itself  was  but 
poorly  engraved. 

Philip  Schuyler,  afterwards  famed  in  the  Revolu 
tion,  proposed  to  meet  the  difficulty  with  an  improve 
ment  in  art.  His  idea  was  to  have  a  plate  made  so 
perfect,  that  it  would  successfully  defy  imitation.  He 
did  not  seem  to  consider  for  a  moment  that  fraud 
generally  enlists  the  services  of  the  best  workmen. 
Among  other  things  suggested  by  this  gentleman, 
was  the  idea  of  having  engraved  upon  the  notes,  pe 
culiar  devices,  which  should  awaken  terror  in  the 
minds  of  the  people.  Every  genuine  note  was  to 


45  2  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

bear  the  imprint  of  an  eye  looking  out  of  a  cloud ; 
also  a  cart,  a  coffin  and  a  gallows.  On  the  gallows 
were  to  be  hung  three  counterfeiters,  surrounded  by 
weeping  mothers  and  children.  Underneath  this  ag 
onizing  scene  was  to  be  inscribed  the  legend  :  "  Let 
the  name  of  the  money  maker  rot." 

As  an  additional  security,  it  was  required  that  the 
Government  printer  should  make  oath  that  the  plates 
had  never  been  out  of  his  hands,  and  when  his  task 
was  done  the  plates  were  to  be  sealed  up  and  placed 
in  the  Treasurer's  hands.  A  reward  was  also  to  be 
offered  for  the  detection  of  counterfeiters,  whose 
punishment  was  death. 

Notwithstanding  Philip  Schuyler's  precautions, 
however,  counterfeiting  both  in  currency  and  specie 
has  continued  to  be  a  prominent  feature  in  crime,  and 
every  improvement  in  the  art  of  engraving  or  coinage 
is  met  by  a  corresponding  advance  in  this  branch  of 
fraud. 

The  question  is  frequently  asked  how  can  it  be 
that  such  perfect  counterfeits  are  made,  but  when  it 
is  remembered  that  the  principal  agent  in  producing 
this  perfection  is  some  first-class  engraver  who  may 
have  lost  his  regular  employment  through  dissipation, 
and  who  being  reduced  to  poverty  by  his  evil  courses 
is  easily  reached  by  the  designing  men  who  desire  to 


COUNTERFEITERS.  453 

control  him,  the  artistic  correctness  of  the  work  can 
readily  be  understood. 

In  imitating  the  coin  of  the  country  the  ambition 
of  the  counterfeiter  is  limited  by  the  issue  of  the 
government.  Our  largest  coin  is  the  double-eagle  or 
twenty-dollar  piece,  but  in  the  counterfeiting  of 
Government  and  National  Bank  notes,  and  in  the 
bonds  issued  by  the  Government  a  larger  and  more 
remunerative  field  is  opened  for  the  dishonest  imitator. 
From  one  dollar  up  to  one  thousand  dollars  the  coun 
terfeiters  have  succeeded  in  imitating  the  Treasury 
notes  of  the  Government,  and  many  of  these  have 
been  so  well  executed  as  almost  to  defy  detection 
except  from  experienced  eyes.  In  the  National  Bank 
notes  counterfeits  have  not  been  attempted  above 
the  one-hundred-dollar  bills,  and  with  very  few  excep 
tions  the  work  upon  these  spurious  notes  has  been  in 
all  respects  excellent.  Government  bonds  of  all  issues 
have  been  counterfeited  in  the  denominations  of  $50, 
$100,  and  $1,000,  and  in  the  case  of  the  $1,000  7:30 
United  States  Bonds  the  Government  receivers 
themselves  redeemed  $90,000  worth  of  these  coun 
terfeits  before  their  true  character  was  discovered. 
As  these  bonds  have  matured  and  the  interest  upon 
them  stopped,  the  authorities  issued  a  general  warning 
to  the  public  to  decline  to  receive  all  bonds  of  this 
character  and  denomination,  When  such  a  warning 


454  COUNTERFEITERS. 

is  considered  necessary  the  counterfeiter  is  without 
question  a  person   to  be  feared.     Railroad  and  tele 
graph   bonds,  steamship  companies  and  even  muni 
cipal    corporations    that   have   issued   certificates    of 
bonded  indebtedness  have  been  the  victims  of  these 
artistic  rascals,  and  counterfeit  bonds  of  all  classes 
have  been  sold  and  negotiated  in  all  the  principal  cities 
of  the  country.     An   important  use  to  which  these 
counterfeit  bonds  have  been  put,  is  to  swell  the  assets 
of  doubtful   corporations  whose  capitals  and  assets 
ostensibly  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars   have 
been  entirely  represented  by  the  forged  and  counter 
feited   bonds  of  the   Government    and  the  railroad 
companies  throughout  the  country.     An  investigation 
not  long  since  developed  the  fact  that  an    insurance 
company  in  one  of  the  prominent  cities   of  the  East 
was  transacting  a  legitimate  business,   and    insuring 
houses,   stores    and    other    properties  for  unlimited 
amounts  with  no  other  financial  standing  or  responsi 
bility  than  a  presumed  capital  and  assets  of  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  which  was  composed 
entirely  of  forged  and  counterfeit  securities  which  had 
been  purchased  from  well  known   criminals  for   the 
purpose  of  imposing  upon   the   general    public.     A 
remarkable  feature  in  this  case  was  the  fact  that  in 
one  instance  the  company  had  actually  effected  a  loan 
of  a  large  amount  of  money  from  one  of  the  principal 


CO  UN TERFEITERS.  455 

banks  of  the  city  and  had  deposited  some  of  these 
worthless  bonds  as  collateral  security  for  the  money 
advanced.  These  are  not  mere  idle  stories  but  actual 
occurrences,  and  the  fraud  in  this  latter  case  was  not 
discovered  until  default  was  made  in  the  payment  of 
the  loan  of  the  bank,  and  that  institution  attempted 
to  realize  upon  their  valueless  hypothecations.  A 
public  expose  then  occurred,  and  in  the  investigation 
which  followed  the  insurance  company  was  wiped  out 
of  existence  and  the  perpetrators  of  the  fraud  were 
remanded  to  prison.  It  is  a  gratifying  fact  therefore 
that  punishment  usually  follows  the  commission  of 
such  crimes,  but  before  discoveries  are  made,  thou 
sands  of  innocent  persons  are  compelled  to  suffer  and 
many  of  them  are  financially  ruined. 

In  the  counterfeiting  of  coin  every  denomination 
from  the  paltry  three-cent  piece  to  the  double-eagle 
has  been  successfully  imitated,  and  all  of  them  have 
an  attractive  exterior  well  calculated  to  deceive  even 
good  judges.  This  is  all  the  more  reasonable,  since 
in  the  larger  gold  pieces  it  is  really  a  good  shell 
formed  by  splitting  a  genuine  coin,  of  which  two- 
thirds  of  the  interior  is  removed.  The  space  is  then 
filled  in  with  platinum  and  the  sides  are  joined 
together  in  a  very  finished  manner,  the  milling  upon 
the  edges  being  neatly  renewed.  The  weight  is  pre 
cisely  that  of  the  genuine,  and  upon  the  whole  it  is  a 


45  6  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

remarkable  success.  These  counterfeits  contain, 
therefore,  about  six  dollars'  worth  of  gold,  the  balance 
of  fourteen  dollars  going  into  the  pockets  of  the 
scoundrels  who  have  doctored  them. 

Eagles  and  half-eagles  are  also  frequently  coun 
terfeited,  and  the  latter  of  1872  are  so  finished  and 
perfect  an  imitation  that  they  may  really  be  termed 
*'  dangerous."  They  were  really  worth  sixty  per 
cent,  of  their  expressed  value,  and  this  left  too  small 
a  margin  for  ordinary  circulation,  for  to  pay  in  a 
satisfactory  manner  they  ought  not  to  cost  more  than 
thirty  per  cent. 

Gold  coin  is  tampered  with  in  a  variety  of  ways, 
each  of  which  is  very  ingenious.  One  operation  con 
sists  in  "  sweating"  or  jingling  the  coin  together  in  a 
buckskin  bag,  by  which  five  per  cent,  can  be  made, 
without  injury  to  the  coin  itself.  Twice  as  much, 
however,  can  be  made  by  filing  the  edges  of  the 
coins,  but  this  requires  a  master  hand,  since  the 
appearance  must  not  be  marred  in  the  slightest 
degree. 

Trade  dollars  are  extensively  imitated,  and  there 
is  also  a  large  business  done  in  half  dollars,  quarters 
and  dimes.  One  of  the  best  is  the  hall-dollar  of 
1876,  the  metal  being  composed  of  antimony,  lead 
and  tin.  There  are  many  issues  of  the  quarters 
exhibiting  a  great  variety  of  skill  and  merit,  The 


CO  UNTERFEF  TERS.  45  7 

denomination  of  the  quarter  of  1854  has  frequently 
deceived  the  best' judges  in  the  country.  Of  the 
dimes,  and  even  the  nickels,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
false  issue  is  very  inferior  to  the  genuine,  and  yet, 
they  are  in  general  circulation.  It  is  a  comparatively 
easy  matter  to  pass  such  pieces,  and  hence  the  public 
is  easily  imposed  upon. 

In  the  matter  of  counterfeiting  the  national  bank 
notes  of  the  country,  several  precautions  have  been 
adopted  by  the  government  to  secure  the  innocent 
public.  The  United  States  Government  prints  all 
the  paper  money  of  the  nation  from  plates,  which  are 
made  four  in  a  set,  and  lettered  in  order  respectively 
A,  B,  C,  D,  though  of  late,  in  a  few  exceptional 
cases,  certain  banks  have  been  supplied  with  bills 
lettered  respectively  E,  F,  G,  H.  These  four  plates 
being  in  one  piece  and  perfectly  alike  except  the 
single  different  letter  on  each  one,  are  used  together 
and  printed  at  one  time  upon  one  large  sheet,  a  series 
or  set  of  four  bills.  By  this  means  each  bill  is 
always  marked  with  the  same  one  letter  of  its  own 
plate.  The  counterfeiter,  owing  to  the  trouble  and 
expense  involved,  makes  but  one  plate,  copying  but 
one  bill  of  one  letter  of  the  genuine  set. 

Whenever,  therefore,  any  counterfeit  National 
Bank  bill  appears,  the  United  States  Redemption 
Agency  quickly  gathers  up  and  retires  from  circula- 

30 


458  COUNTERFEITERS. 

tion  all  genuine  bills  of  the  same  denomination, 
National  Bank  and  letter,  and  thus  leaves  the 
field  to  the  counterfeit.  Consequently,  as  a  matter 
of  safety,  all  National  Bank  bills  of  the  same  denom 
ination,  letter  and  date  as  the  counterfeit  should  be 
refused  by  every  person  who  desires  to  avoid  great 
risk.  All  bills  of  the  same  denomination  and  Na 
tional  Bank  of  the  other  and  different  check  letters 
are  not  counterfeited  and  still  continue  in  circulation. 
Counterfeiters  seldom  use  the  same  plate  on  two  or 
more  check  letters  of  the  same  denomination  of  any 
National  Bank ;  but  when  the  counterfeit  has  become 
notorious  they  change  the  issue  by  inserting  with  the 
aid  of  skeleton  plates,  the  name  of  another  and  unsus 
pected  National  Bank  on  which  no  counterfeit  of 
that  particular  denomination  has  yet  appeared.  The 
principle,  thus  explained,  is  quite  plain,  and  the 
method  of  discrimination  most  concise  and  certain. 
Whenever  a  note  is  presented  at  any  of  the.  Sub- 
Treasury  departments,  and  it  is  ascertained  to  be 
counterfeit,  the  officer  in  charge  immediately  stamps 
across  the  face  of  it  in  large  letters  the  word  "  COUN 
TERFEIT,"  and  thus  the  career  of  that  particular  piece 
of  dishonesty  is  at  once  brought  to  a  sudden  and  un 
timely  end,  and  its  power  of  deception  forever  taken 
away. 

In   describing   the  methods   resorted   to   by  the 


CO  UN  T ERF  El  TERS.  45  9 

counterfeiters  it  will  be  necessary  to  introduce  some 
of  the  most  famous  of  the  men  who  have  figured  in 
this  particular  line  of  dishonesty,  in  order  that  the 
reader  may  fully  appreciate  the  nature  and  extent  of 
their  peculiar  operations. 


A  COUNTERFEITER  OF  MILLIONS. 

AMONG  the  most  successful  of  these  dangerous 
counterfeiters  were  E.  W.  Spencer,  better  known  by 
his  alias  of  "  Bill  Brockway,"  and  Charles  H  Smith, 
whose  imitations  of  the  six-per-cent.  $1,000  bonds,  and 
the  six  varieties  of  $100  National  Bank  note  were 
the  most  perfect  of  their  kind.  No  words  can  be 
found,  or  sentences  framed  to  fitly  express  our  aston 
ishment  at  and  admiration  for  the  wonderful  exploits 
of  these  two  men,  or  to  properly  estimate  the  genius 
of  the  former  or  the  skill  of  the  latter.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  it  is  remembered  to  what  base  uses  they 
applied  their  gifts,  natural  and  acquired,  the  mind  be 
comes  confused  in  its  efforts  in  seeking  fitting  terms 
to  denounce  the  turpitude  of  their  acts.  And  there 
fore,  though  their  work  and  their  methods  of  accom 
plishing  it,  surpass  everything  in  the  counterfeiting  line 
which  has  yet  been  developed,  and  demonstrate  how 


460  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

weak  and  insufficient  are  the  mechanical  barriers  that 
have  been  interposed  for  the  protection  of  the  people 
by  the  Government  against  this  class  of  criminals, 
yet  for  want  of  proper  phrase,  we  descend  to  the  pos 
itive  degree  of  comparison,  and  simply  designate 
them  as  counterfeiters. 

A  pertinent  inquiry  at  this  point  may  be,  "  Does 
it  pay  to  pursue  this  unlawful  business  of  counterfeit 
ing?"  In  reply,  I  dismiss  the  mere  moral  aspect  of 
the  question,  with  the  oft-repeated  axiom,  that  "  It 
never  pays  to  commit  a  wrong."  But  in  a  pecuniary 
sense,  has  it  paid  these  men  to  follow  their  nefarious 
calling?  Brockway  is  probably  the  most  gigantic, 
and  has  been,  so  far  as  keeping  out  of  the  clutches  of 
the  law  is  concerned,  the  most  successful  counterfeiter 
known  to  modern  times.  He  owned  the  following 
counterfeit  plates  :  The  $1,000  7.30  bond,  the  $500 
and  $100  Treasury  notes,  the  $1,000  six-per-cent.  U. 
S.  bond,  and  six  varieties  of  the  $100  National  Bank 
Notes,  all  of  which,  in  their  execution  and  design, 
were  acknowledged  by  the  most  expert  judges  in  the 
country  to  be  equal  to  and  scarcely  detected  from 
the  genuine,  and  yet  to-day  he  is  homeless  and  penni 
less,  and  a  felon.  He  was  convinced  that  the  coun 
terfeits  which  he  held  were  so  identical  with  the 
genuine  that  the  spurious  could  not  be  readily  de 
tected,  and  yet,  after  all  his  labor  and  expense,  his 


CO  UN  TERFEI TERS.  46 1 

toil  and  his  anxiety,  his  hopes  were  dashed  to  the 
ground  by  reading  in  the  newspapers  of  the  discovery 
of  his  counterfeits  almost  on  the  very  day  of  their  is 
sue.  Undismayed  by  these  defeats,  he  would  instantly 
withdraw  that  note,  and  prepare  a  plate  for  another 
imitation  on  a  different  bank,  in  which  the  defects 
which  had  led  to  the  detection  of  the  first  were  sought 
to  be  remedied  in  every  particular.  This  process  he 
repeated  until  he  had  issued  the  six  counterfeits  now 
so  widely  known.  It  is  perfectly  safe  to  state  that  the 
detection  of  four  of  these  notes  followed  so  quickly 
upon  their  issue,  that  the  amount  put  into  circulation 
did  not  compensate  him  for  the  labor  bestowed  upon 
them.,  A  short  description  of  the  tools  and  materials 
used  by  this  redoubtable  counterfeiter,  may  give  an 
approximate  idea  of  the  nature  of  counterfeiting  as  a 
fine  art. 

The  plates  for  printing  the  back  border  tint  of  the 
counterfeit  $100  National  Bank  Notes  are  four  in 
number,  and  all  on  copper  plates.  One  of  these  was 
carefully  and  artistically  engraved  by  hand,  and  the 
other  three  electrotyped ;  the  former  by  Charles  H. 
Smith,  the  latter  the  work  of  Brockway  himself.  Each 
plate  is  the  counterpart  of  the  other,  except  the  panel 
which  contains  the  coat  of  arms  seen  at  the  left  end 
on  the  back  of  the  note.  As  the  counterfeits  had  thus 
far  been  confined  to  three  states,  Massachusetts,  Penn- 


462  COUNTERFEITERS. 

sylvania  and  Maryland,  so  three  of  these  plates  showed 
on  their  respective  panels  the  arms  of  these  several 
states,  while  in  the  fourth  the  panel  was  left  blank, 
until  they  had  decided  upon  which  state  they  would 
renew  their  depredations. 

The  vignette  entitled  "  Signing  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,"  also  common  to  all  notes  of  this 
denomination,  is  a  plate  of  polished  steel  and  en 
graved  with  the  most  faultless  precision.  It  has 
since  been  the  object  of  admiration  of  all  men  who 
are  skilled  in  the  higher  branches  of  that  delicate 
handicraft. 

There  are  also  three  copper-plates,  one  engraved 
and  two  electrotyped.  These  represent  all  the 
character  and  designs  on  the  face  of  the  note,  ex 
cepting  the  name  and  location  of  the  bank,  and 
the  signatures  of  the  officers.  These  omissions  are 
called  by  the  counterfeiters,  "  titles." 

The  plates  which  supply  these  omissions  are 
called  skeletons,  and  in  addition  to  these,  other  plates 
are  required  for  printing  the  little  red  seal,  and  the 
numbers  by  which  all  national  notes  are  registered. 

In  the  production  of  the  fac-similes  of  the  highly 
figured  United  States  Bonds,  those  monetary  evi 
dences  of  a  nation's  trouble,  and  the  holder's  hap 
piness,  the  work  of  the  counterfeiters  is  fully  equal 
to,  if  not  superior  to  the  genuine  article  itself. 


COUNTERFEITERS.  463 

The  government  had  been  at  work  for  a  long 
time  endeavoring  to  discover  the  counterfeiters  of  a 
National  Bank  note  of  the  Revere  Bank  of  Boston, 
Mass.  Brockway,  or  Spencer  as  he  was  called, 
whose  skillful  counterfeits  had  for  years  harassed  the 
officers  of  the  law,  was  at  once  suspected.  As  they 
proceeded  in  their  investigations  in  this  case,  they 
found  other  counterfeits  of  the  same  denomination 
in  existence  upon  the  Pittsfield  National  Bank  of 
Mass.,  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Wilkesbarre, 
Pa.,  and  the  National  Exchange  Bank  of  Baltimore, 
Md.,  and  shortly  afterwards  a  new  one-hundred- 
dollar  counterfeit  from  the  same  plate,  appeared 
on  the  Pittsburgh  National  Bank,  of  Pa.  These 
notes  were  at  first  readily  accepted  by  the  New  York 
banks.  They  were  almost  faultless  in  engraving, 
and  several  of  them  were  worn  as  though  they  had 
passed  through  many  hands,  and  the  signatures  of 
the  bank  officers  were  forged  in  different  colored  inks. 

The  number  of  these  counterfeits  that  were  dis 
covered  to  be  afloat,  alarmed  the  authorities  exceed 
ingly,  and  their  efforts,  strenuous  as  they  were,  were 
fruitless  in  obtaining  any  clue  to  the  whereabouts  of 
this  master-plate.  As  Brockway  was  suspected,  the 
officers  were  obliged  to  proceed  very  cautiously  for 
fear  of  alarming  either  him  or  his  associates,  and  at 
the  same  time  keep  him  under  close  surveillance.  It 


464  CO  UNTERFE1 TERS. 

was  soon  noticed  that  one  by  one  the  most  skillful 
counterfeiters  of  the  country  were  visitors  at  Brock- 
way's  house.  He  supported  his  wife  at  one  place, 
while  he  boarded  in  an  obscure  locality  in  Brooklyn, 
where  he.  was  known  as  Mr.  Edward  Spencer.  It 
was  soon  discovered  that  he  and  J.  B.  Doyle  were 
more  frequently  together  than  any  of  the  others. 
Doyle  was.  a  prominent  member  of  the  old  gang  of 
counterfeiters  at  Bradford,  111.,  to  which  Nat.  B.  Fos 
ter,  his  brother-in-law,  and  Tom  King  alias  Thomas 
Shotwell,  another  relative,  belonged.  Doyle  first 
took  up  his  residence  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  could  be 
near  to  Brockway,  and  he  rented  a  post-office  box 
under  his  own  name.  Brockway  was  repeatedly  seen 
to  enter  Doyle's  room,  and  these  two  men  were  found 
to  be  intimate  also  with  one  Jasper  Owens,  who  was 
once  arrested  in  this  city  on  suspicion,  and  a  press 
and  materials  for  counterfeiting  were  found  in  his 
possession.  William  H.  Smythe,  an  elderly  man,  who 
was  well  known  as  one  of  the  best  engravers  in 
America,  was  also  noticed  visiting  Doyle  on  frequent 
occasions.  Among  engravers  it  is  stated  that  any 
particular  man's  work  can  be  identified  as  readily  as 
handwriting,  and  an  examination  of  these  counter 
feits  revealed  the  handiwork  of  Charles  Smith.  At 
that  time  no  suspicion  was  entertained  that  these  men 
were  engaged  in  a  bond  forgery  of  gigantic  dimen- 


CO  UN  TERPEITRES.  465 

slons.  It  was  noticed  shortly  after  this  that  all  these 
men  had  keys  to  Doyle's  room,  which  they  entered  at 
will,  and  without  knocking.  Doyle  and  Owens  were 
observed  to  make  frequent  excursions  to  East  New 
York,  as  though  upon  fishing  jaunts.  After  watching 
Brockway  for  a  long  time  he  was  at  last  seen  buying 
a  notary  public's  seal,  and  a  valise  which  he  carried 
straight  way  to  Doyle's  room.  A  few  minutes  after 
wards  it  was  noticed  that  they  took  down  the  shades 
from  the  windows  of  the  room,  and  after  a  short  in 
terval  both  made  their  appearance  on  the  street  carry 
ing  the  newly  purchased  valise.  From  this  point 
they  wended  their  way  to  a  fashionable  restaurant 
where  they  procured  supper,  and  there  they  separated, 
Brockway  returning  to  his  own  quarter,  and  Doyle 
proceeding  to  Jersey  City  where  he  took  a  train  for 
Chicago.  The  detectives  were  keenly  alert  to  all 
these  movements,  and  boarded  the  same  train  with 
Doyle.  When  they  reached  Chicago  Doyle  was  ar 
rested  as  he  was  about  to  step  from  the  cars.  To 
the  intense  surprise  of  the  officers  when  the  valise 
was  examined,  instead  of  containing  $100  coun 
terfeit  bills  as  they  had  every  reason  to  suspect, 
they  discovered  $204,000  in  government  coupon 
six-per-cent.  bonds  wrapped  up  in  the  identical  win 
dow  curtains,  which  had  been  taken  down  from 
Doyle's  room  before  his  departure.  There  were 

20* 


466  COUNTERFEITERS. 

also  twenty-five  one-hundred-dollar  notes  of  genuine 
money  and  two  doubtful  one-hundred-dollar  notes, 
found  in  the  satchel.  When  this  arrest  and  discovery 
were  made  known  the  bankers  and  brokers  of  Chi 
cago,  to  whom  they  were  exhibited,  expressed  them 
selves  perfectly  willing  to  indorse  their  genuineness, 
and  to  purchase  the  entire  lot  at  market  value.  So 
perfect  was  their  imitation.  For  a  long  time  public 
opinion  was  unanimous  in  pronouncing  the  arrest  of 
Doyle  a  mistake,  and  an  act  of  cruelty  and  persecu 
tion  which  ought  not  to  be  persisted  in  or  coun 
tenanced. 

Immediately  after  the  information  of  the  arrest 
of  Doyle  was  received  in  New  York,  steps  were 
taken  to  capture  his  confederates.  Brockway  was 
found  at  his  residence,  and  Owens  and  Smythe  were 
arrested  in  the  street.  Smythe  was  completely 
broken  down  by  the  sudden  discovery  of  his  crime, 
and  turned  state's  evidence  against  his  companions. 
He  fully  admitted  engraving  the  one-hundred-dollar 
counterfeit  and  the  one-thousand-dollar  bonds.  The 
printing  was  done  by  Owens.  Brockway  supplied 
the  signatures  and  Doyle  was  to  manage  the  sale  of 
these  worthless  securities. 

The  differences  which  existed  between  these 
counterfeits  and  the  genuine  bonds  were  readily  de 
tected  when  the  discrepancies  were  pointed  out,  by 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  467 

comparing  them  with  the  assistance  of  the  magnify 
ing  glass. 

The  first  things  that  are  noticeable  under  this 
searching  investigation  of  mechanical  ingenuity  and 
patient  labor  are  two  small  engrossed  dies  in  copper. 
They  will  measure  one  and  a  quarter  by  three-quar 
ters  of  an  inch,  and  are  completed  figures  of  cycloid 
engraving  of  the  most  perfect  character. 

It  was  from  these  small  dies  that  mattrixes  were 
made  by  Brockway,  by  which  he  was  enabled,  one  by 
one,  to  produce  207  faultless  and  perfect  imitations 
of  the  border  to  the  six-per-cent.  bonds  of  1881.  This 
was  the  denomination  of  which  Doyle  had  hypothe 
cated  three  to  secure  him  a  sum  of  money  to  bear 
his  current  expenses,  and  at  the  time  of  his  arrest  he 
was  going  to  take  them  up,  only  to  float  the  whole 
$207,000  before  the  interest  became  due.  But  for  his 
arrest,  in  one  week's  time  the  whole  of  that  vast 
amount  would  have  been  placed  on  the  Chicago  and 
Illinois  bankers  generally.  As  it  was,  fortunately 
only  $3,000  were  lost,  and  that  was  by  the  Peoria 
Bank. 

In  like  manner  did  Brockway  take  the  engraved 
plate  and  electrotype  a  genuine  "  counter,"  which  is 
the  circle  that  encloses  the  100  and  the  large  C  in  the 
National  Bank  notes. 

These  bond  plates  are  of  copper,  the  larger  one 


468  COUNTERFEITERS. 

having  the  border  of  the  bond  and  five  coupons  from 
which  four  were  cut  off  when  the  loan  was  made. 
The  other  plates  contained  a  medallion  portrait  of 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Salmon  P.  Chase,  and 
the  other  designs  incident  to  the  bond.  In  all  their 
printed  stipulations,  signatures,  seals,  etc.,  they  were 
precisely  the  same  as  the  genuine,  or  as  near  perfect 
imitations  as  it  was  possible  to  make  them  by  hand. 
Two  extra  plates  were  also  made  for  printing  the 
coupons ;  and  the  two  seals  representing  respectively 
the  Loan  Division  and  the  Treasury  Department, 
were  as  perfect  as  could  possibly  be  produced  by 
the  hands  of  man. 

All  of  these  articles  were  captured  by  the  detect 
ives,  together  with  their  machinery,  which  consisted 
of  a  rotary  hand-press,  and  two  first-class  ruling 
machines,  all  registered  and  prepared  for  the  most 
minute  work,  and  they  were  such  as  are  found  only  in 
first-class  bank  note  printing  establishments. 

These  various  counterfeits  were  considered  by 
every  one  to  be  the  most  perfect  specimens  of  their 
kind  ever  prepared,  and  the  entire  financial  com 
munity  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  when  they  were 
finally  captured  and  destroyed. 

William  Brockway  is  about  fifty-five  years  old, 
and  has  gray  hair,  whiskers  and  mustache.  His 
form  is  spare  and  tall,  and  his  presence  is  impressive 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  469 

and  commanding.  The  number  of  similar  counter 
feiting  and  forging  experiences  in  which  he  has 
taken  part  is  legion.  He  is  an  expert  in  scientific 
knowledge,  having  been  a  pupil  under  Prof.  Lilliman 
of  Yale  College.  By  means  of  the  special  talents 
which  he  possessed,  he  was  able,  twenty-five  years 
ago,  to  make  a  counterfeit  of  the  plate  then  used  by 
the  New  Haven  Bank  in  printing  their  circulating 
notes. 

He  was  concerned,  while  still  a  lad,  in  counterfeit 
ing  a  five-dollar  note  on  the  North  River  Bank,  and 
a  two-dollar  note  on  the  New  York  State  Bank. 
For  this  last  mentioned  crime  he  was  sentenced  to 
five  years'  imprisonment  in  the  State  prison  of  New 
York.  In  1867  he  was  connected  with  a  forgery  of 
over  ninety  thousand  dollars  of  Government  seven, 
thirty  bonds,  a  number  of  which  were  accepted  by 
the  famous  banker  Jay  Cooke,  before  the  counterfeit 
was  discovered.  Brockway  was  convicted  of  this 
crime,  but  received  a  pardon  after  serving  a  few 
months,  on  condition  of  his  surrendering  the  plates 
from  which  these  bonds  were  printed. 

The  story  of  Brockway's  counterfeiting  in  New 
Haven  is  interesting.  In  1850,  he  was  engaged  as 
an  apprentice  in  a  printing  establishment  in  that  city, 
where  the  New  Haven  Bank  notes  were  printed. 
The  plates  were  kept  in  the  strong  vault  of  the  bank, 


470  COUNTERFEITERS. 

and  when  used  by  the  printer,  were  taken  to  his 
establishment  by  two  bank  directors  who  carefully 
watched  the  operation  of  printing,  and  who  then 
returned  with  the  plates  to  the  bank.  Young  Brock- 
way  was  a  skillful  workman?  and  his  employer  sent 
him  to  Yale  College  to  study  electro-chemistry,  in 
which  he  soon  became  proficient.  The  newly  ac 
quired  knowledge  he  communicated  to  his  employer, 
and  between  them  a  scheme  was  devised  to  obtain  a 
fac-simile  of  one  of  the  New  Haven  Bank  plates. 
The  next  printing  for  the  bank  that  was  required 
was  for  five-dollar  bills,  and  the  directors  brought 
the  plate  with  them  for  that  purpose.  While  the 
notes  were  being  rapidly  run  from  the  press,  the 
proprietor  of  the  establishment  attracted  the  atten 
tion  of  the  watchful  directors  to  another  part  of  the 
room,  and  taking  advantage  of  their  temporary 
absence,  young  Brockway  quickly  obtained  an  im 
pression  of  the  plate  upon  a  sheet  of  soft  metal, 
which  he  had  kept  concealed  beneath  his  apron. 
This  copy  was  electrotyped  and  then  transferred  to  a 
copper-faced  plate.  Paper  was  procured  and  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  bogus  money  was 
printed,  Brockway  forging  the  signatures  of  the 
president  and  the  cashier.  These  false  notes  were 
speedily  put  on  the  market,  and  in  a  few  weeks  there 
after  many  of  them  had  safely  passed  over  the  counter 


CO  UN  TERFEITERS.  47 1 

of  the  New  Haven  Bank  itself.  The  officers,  how 
ever,  at  last  detected  the  fraudulent  signatures,  but 
they  redeemed  this  worthless  paper,  because  they 
believed  that  the  notes  had  been  printed  from  the 
genuine  plate,  which  had  been  obtained  for  that  pur 
pose  by  some  surreptitious  means.  In  return  for  his 
share  of  the  work  the  printer  swindled  Brockway  out 
of  his  portion  of  the  profits,  but  gave  him,  instead, 
the  forged  plate,  of  which  he  made  excellent  use  with 
out  being  detected. 

For  the  printing  and  counterfeiting  of  this  last 
Government  $1,000  bond,  the  parties  were  all  pun 
ished,  and  most  of  them  made  restitution  by  surren 
dering  the  inimitable  plates  and  the  various  materials 
with  which  their  work  was  so  successfully  accom 
plished.  

During  the  present  year  William  Brockway  again 
made  his  appearance  in  the  role  of  a  gigantic  forger, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  a  sentence  of  thirty 
years'  imprisonment  had  been  suspended,  conditional 
upon  his  entirely  refraining  from  the  practice  of  his 
dishonest  calling. 

The  particulars  of  this  last  forgery  are  as  follows. 
During  the  month  of  March,  1883,  Chief  Drummond, 
who  is  the  New  York  agent  of  the  Secret  Service 
Department  of  the  Government,  was  informed  of  the 


472  CO  UN TERFEI TERS. 

suspicious  actions  of  an  individual,  in  reference  to 
some  plate  printing.  It  appeared  that  a  stranger  had 
visited  one  of  the  prominent  printing  establishments 
in  New  York  city,  and  had  displayed  a  piece  of  steel 
plate  which  was  about  six  inches  long,  two  inches  wide 
and  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  Upon 
this  plate — which  is  known  in  the  trade  as  a  "bed- 
piece" — there  was  engraved  in  a  highly  artistic  man 
ner,  the  figures  "$iooo,"  and  a  small  but  elaborately 
ornamental  corner  of  scroll  work.  Inquiries  were  at 
once  instituted,  and  it  was  learned  that  this  plate  had 
been  left  at  the  printing  office  for  the  avowed  purpose 
of  having  several  proofs,  or  impressions,  taken  from 
it,  and  was  to  be  called  for  in  a  few  days.  This 
seemed  upon  the  surface  to  be  a  very  innocent  pro 
ceeding,  and  savored  very  little  of  dishonesty,  but  a 
suspicion  was  engendered  in  the  mind  of  the  astute 
officer,  that  there  were  indications  that  some  person 
was  preparing  to  issue  a  security  of  some  kind,  but 
whether  it  was  genuine  or  a  forgery  was  a  question 
which  he  resolved  to  settle  for  himself. 

As  a  valuable  piece  of  evidence  in  case  of  need,  a 
proof  of  this  plate  was  procured,  and  not  content  with 
this,  it  was  resolved  to  discover  the  identity  of  the 
party  who  had  brought  this  steel  plate  to  the  office, 
and  by  that  means  perhaps,  at  the  outset,  ascertain 
all  that  was  necessary  in  the  matter.  Accordingly  a 


CO  UNTERFE2  TERS.  473 

man  was  detailed  to  watch  the  premises  of  the  printer, 
and  at  the  same  time  a  particular  signal  was  arranged 
to  be  given  by  that  gentleman,  to  the  watching  detec 
tive,  whenever  the  suspected  party  should  make  his 
appearance.  The  officer's  vigil  was  not  of  long  dura 
tion,  and  he  soon  noticed  a  well  known  figure  alight 
ing  from  a  car  opposite  to  the  establishment,  and  after 
a  hurried  but  searching  glance  in  all  directions,  the 
figure  disappeared  through  the  printer's  door.  Five 
minutes  elapsed  when  the  same  man  left  the  building, 
and  hurriedly  walked  up  the  street,  carefully  scrutiniz 
ing  every  person  whom  he  met  or  passed.  As  the 
man  emerged  from  the  building,  the  signal  was  given, 
and  the  officer  started  in  pursuit,  muttering  as  he  did 
so — "  It's  Bill  Brockway,  and  he's  at  it  again."  He 
had  little  difficulty  in  following  Brockway — for  such 
the  man  proved  to  be — to  his  dwelling-place,  and  hav 
ing  made  sure  of  his  location,  he  reported  his  dis 
coveries  to  the  chief. 

The  matter  was  at  once  communicated  to  the 
Treasury  authorities  at  Washington,  and  the  proof  of 
the  engraved  border  was  also  submitted  to  them  for 
inspection.  An  examination  failed  to  disclose  any 
imitation  between  the  engraving  and  the  work  upon 
any  Government  security.  From  this  it  was  evident 
that  no  attempt  upon  the  Government  was  contem 
plated,  and  under  these  circumstances,  the  secret 


474  COUNTERFEITERS. 

service  would  not  be  justified  in  expending  the  Gov 
ernment  funds  in  the  pursuit.  It  was  resolved,  how 
ever  to  notify  the  New  York  police  authorities  of 
this  discovery,  and  to  place  the  matter  in  their  hands. 
Having  in  the  meantime  discovered  Brockway's  ad 
dress,  and  the  location  of  the  places  which  he  fre 
quented,  the  matter  was  left  with  the  Police  Depart 
ment,  and  nothing  further  was  heard  of  it  for  some 
time.  On  the  i5th  of  August,  Chief  Drummond  re 
ceived  information  from  Washington  that  rumors  were 
rife  that  Brockway  was  engaged  in  preparing  a  new 
counterfeit  note  on  some  National  Bank,  and  he  was 
ordered  to  look  carefully  after  the  movements  of  that 
gentleman.  This  order  was  implicitly  obeyed,  and 
Brockway  was  soon  found,  residing  in  a  respectable 
quarter  of  the  city,  under  the  name  of  E.  W.  Spen 
cer,  his  well-known  alias  of  other  days.  Brockway 
was  always  one  of  the  most  difficult  men  to  shadow, 
and  his  past  experience  had  made  him  more  careful 
and  watchful  than  before,  and  consequently  the  de 
tectives  were  constantly  at  their  wits'  ends  to  keep 
track  of  him,  without  exciting  his  suspicion.  His 
movements  were  spasmodical  in  the  extreme.  He 
would  jump  from  a  railroad  car  in  the  middle  of  a 
block,  retrace  his  steps,  turn  the  corners  of  the  streets 
suddenly,  and  then  stop,  waiting  for  some  one  to 
hurry  around  after  him.  He  would  leave  the  elevated 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  47  5 

train  at  the  very  last  moment,  or  would  wait  on 
the  platform,  until  the  gate  was  about  to  close  before 
entering  a  train.  He  seemed  to  be  constantly  on  the 
alert,  and  ever  practicing  some  dodge  in  order  to  out 
wit  anyone  who  might  be  following  him.  As  may  be 
imagined,  this  mode  of  procedure  rendered  the  task 
of  the  detective  a  decidedly  difficult  one ;  but  they 
worked  hard,  and  kept  him  in  sight  as  long  as  they 
could,  and  when  compelled  to  drop  him  from  fear  of 
detection,  they  bore  their  defeat  as  patiently  as  pos 
sible.  At  length,  however,  they  succeeded  in  tracking 
him  to  a  house  on  Lexington  Avenue,  and  this  prop 
erty  being  watched,  it  was  found  that  Brockway  made 
frequent  visits  to  this  place,  and  remained  there  a 
longtime.  This  was  deemed  of  importance,  and  it 
was  soon  learned  that  the  house  was  occupied  by  a 
small-sized  man,  who  spent  nearly  all  his  time  indoors, 
going  out  only  for  a  few  minutes  each  day,  as  if  for 
the  purpose  of  stretching  his  limbs,  and  taking  the 
air.  Brockway's  visits  continued  for  some  time,  and 
finally  the  two  men  were  seen  to  leave  the  house  in 
company,  and  take  the  elevated  train.  A  description 
of  Brockway's  companion  was  forwarded  to  Mr. 
James  J.  Brooks,  the  Chief  of  the  Secret  Service  at 
Washington,  and  that  officer  at  once  forwarded  a 
photograph  of  Nathan  R.  Foster,  a  noted  counter 
feiter  of  the  town  of  Bradford,  Illinois,  who  was  also 


476  COUNTERFEITERS. 

a  brother-in-law  of  James  B.  Doyle,  a  former  associ 
ate  of  Brockway's.  This  photograph  was  instantly 
recognized  as  that  of  the  small  gentleman  whom  the 
officers  were  now  shadowing,  and  Brockway's  com 
panion  was  thoroughly  identified.  Brockway  was 
also  tracked  to  the  St.  James  Hotel,  where  he  made 
frequent  visits  of  long  duration,  and  after  many  ef 
forts  he  was  found  to  be  in  commuication  with  a  tall, 
fine-looking  gentleman  who  wore  iron-gray  whiskers 
and  mustache,  and  who  was  apparently  about  sixty 
years  of  age. 

A  detective  was  now  located  in  the  hotel,  to 
watch  this  stranger,  and  shortly  afterwards  he  was 
found  engaged  in  writing  a  letter  in  the  reading 
room.  He  was  noticed  deliberately  tearing  up  a 
letter  which  he  carelessly  threw  away,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  after  his  departure,  the  pieces  were  carefully 
collected  by  the  watchful  detective.  These  pieces 
were  put  together,  and  from  their  connection,  the 
officers  had  no  difficulty  in  identifying  the  third  man 
as  Lewis  R.  Martin.  Martin  was  known  as  a 
printer  and  engraver  of  skill  and  ingenuity,  and  with 
Brockway,  both  printer,  engraver,  and  one  of  the 
ablest  electrotypers  ever  known,  and  Nathan  Foster, 
a  noted  shoverof  counterfeits,  negotiator  of  counter- 

o 

feit  bonds,  and  a  manufacturer  of  gold  coin,  this  was 
one  of  the  most  skillful  and  formidable  bands  of 


CO  UNTERFEI TERS.  477 

forgers  and  counterfeiters  which  were  known  in  detec 
tive  annals,  and  the  detectives  were  stimulated  to 
renewed  exertions,  in  order  to  effect  their  capture, 
under  such  circumstances  as  would  unquestionably 
ensure  their  conviction. 

From  the  movements  of  these  parties,  it  was  evi 
dent  that  their  work  was  nearing  completion.  Brock- 
way  visited  Wall  Street  on  two  occasions  and  pur- 
chassd  two  bonds  of  railroad  companies,  and  paid 
mysterious  visits  to  two  or  more  steel  plate  engravers 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  Shortly  after  this,  he 
and  Foster  were  seen  to  walk  out  to  the  end  of  the 
long  pier  at  Thirty-second  Street,  and  to  critically 
examine  what  seemed  to  be  an  embossed  seal  of 
some  kind.  Again  becoming  convinced  that  these 
forgers  were  not  at  work  upon  any  government  coun 
terfeiting,  the  matter  was  turned  over  to  the  police 
authorities,  as  the  secret  service  had  no  power  to  act 
in  the  premises. 

At  last,  on  the  loth  day  of  November,  more  than 
eight  months  after  the  investigation  had  been  com 
menced,  it  was  decided  to  make  the  descent  upon  this 
gang,  as,  by  this  time,  it  was  believed  that  everything 
was  in  readiness  for  the  issue  of  the  counterfeit  and 
forged  bonds,  of  whatever  nature  they  might  be. 
Warrants  were  duly  procured,  and  the  men  were  in 
convenient  places  to  be  of  service,  in  case  of  resist- 


478  COUNTERFEITERS. 

ance,  or  miscalculation.  At  one  o'clock  on  the  day 
above  mentioned,  one  of  the  detectives  reported  to 
the  Inspector,  that  Brockway,  Foster  and  Martin, 
were  all  together  at  the  house  of  Foster.  He  was 
directed  to  repair  to  the  premises,  and  after  a  delay 
of  fifteen  minutes,  in  order  to  allow  a  sufficient  time 
for  the  orders  to  be  communicated  to  the  detectives 
stationed  at  Brockway's  residence,  and  the  St.  James 
Hotel,  he  was  to  enter  the  house  and  arrest  the  three 
men.  When  the  officer  returned  to  Foster's  resi 
dence,  he  found  that  Brockway  had  left  almost  at  the 
same  time  that  he  did,  and  that  he  had  boarded  an 
elevated  railway  train  near  by.  One  of  the  detectives 
had  followed  him,  and  when  the  train  reached  Hous 
ton  Street,  arrested  him  and  conveyed  him  to  the 
police  central  office.  The  remaining  detectives 
ascended  the  steps  of  Foster's  residence  and  pulled 
the  bell  twice  in  quick  succession,  just  as  they  had 
seen  the  forgers  do  when  they  wished  to  gain  admis 
sion.  All  ordinary  rings,  they  had  noticed,  were  dis 
regarded,  and  peddlers  and  tramps  had  learned  long 
before  to  consider  the  place  unapproachable.  In 
this  case,  however,  the  door  that  was  invariably 
closed  to  a  single  summons  was  opened  to  the  wait 
ing  officers,  who  immediately  crowded  in  and  arrested 
Foster  and  Martin  in  the  midst  of  their  counterfeits 
and  counterfeiting  implements.  The  capture  was  an 


COUNTERFEITERS.  479 

immense  one,  and  the  men  were  soon  strongly 
secured.  The  counterfeiting  apparatus  seized,  con 
sisted  of  plates,  stamps,  dies,  and  every  kind  of 
material  necessary  for  forging.  The  work  the  men 
had  been  engaged  upon,  were  of  $1,000  Morris  & 
Essex  Railroad  construction  bonds  payable  in  1901, 
and  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  $1,000  6-per 
cent,  gold-bearing  bonds,  series  B.  Stamps  intended 
for  both  bonds,  including  the  London  stamp  of  the 
last-named  bonds,  were  also  found.  A  large  number 
of  bonds  already  printed,  were  seized,  and  an 
examination  disclosed  the  fact  that  they  were  the 
most  perfect  imitations  that  had  ever  been  brought 
to  the  notice  of  detectives  or  experts. 

Types  which  were  set  up  and  used  to  print  the 
certificates  on  the  back  of  the  Central  Pacific  bonds, 
were  captured,  reading  as  follows  : 

According  to  a  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Direc 
tors  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  dated 
Oct.  28,  1872,  said  company,  for  value  received,  hereby 
agree  with  holder  at  the  time  being  that  the  within 
bond  and  accompanying  coupons,  or  any  of  the  same, 
shall  be  payable  at  or  after  maturing,  at  the  option  of 
the  holder  at  the  time  being,  at  the  banking  house  of 
Speyer  &  Brother  in  the  city  of  London,  at  the  rate 
of  49  pence  sterling  per  dollar  ;  and,  resolved  further, 
that  the  President  or  Vice-President  of  this  company 


480  COUNTERFEITERS. 

shall  be,  and  hereby  is,  authorized  to  sign  the  above 
endorsement  on  behalf  of  this  company  on  each  bond, 
and  shall  affix  its  corporate  seal. 

(Signed),  HUNTINGTON. 

Other  type  arranged  for  printing  read  : 

We  hereby  certify  that  this  bond  is  one  of  the 
seven  thousand  two  hundred  bonds  of  like  date, 
secured  by  mortgage  executed  and  delivered  to  us. 
Daniel  S.  Dodge,  one  of  the  trustees  within  named, 
being  dead,  Philip  C.  Calhoun  has  been  duly  nomi 
nated  and  appointed  in  his  place  and  stead,  in  accord 
ance  with  the  provisions  of  said  mortgage. 

There  were  also  seized  eighteen  sets  of  type  for 
each  of  the  eighteen  coupons,  reading  as  follows  : 

This  coupon  is  also  payable  at  the  option  of  the 
holder  at  the  banking  house  of  Speyer  &  Brother, 
London,  at  the  rate  of  49  pence  sterling  per  dollar,  in 
accordance  with  the  endorsement  on  the  bond. 

Types  set  up  for  other  parts  of  the  bonds,  together 
with  the  figures  used  for  printing  the  scrolls  were  also 
seized,  and  in  fact  everything  pertaining  to  a  first 
class  establishment  for  printing,  engraving  and  litho 
graphing  in  the  finest  style  of  the  art. 

So  much  for  Foster's  apartments.  At  Brockway's 
house  the  detectives  found  but  comparatively  little  to 
prove  that  forgery  had  been  attempted,  but  in  Martin's 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  48  r 

room  at  the  St.  James  Hotel,  there  were  discovered 
twenty  one  counterfeit  Morris  &  Essex  Railroad 
$1,000  seven-per-cent.  mortgage  construction  bonds, 
all  duly  numbered  and  wanting  but  the  signatures  of 
the  President  and  Treasurer  to  put  them  upon  the 
market.  These  signatures  would  evidently  soon  have 
been  added.  Mr.  Samuel  Sloan,  the  president  of  the 
company,  usually  writes  with  a  quill  pen,  and  a  bundle 
of  quills,  cut  and  ready  for  use,  were  found  wrapped 
up  in  this  bundle  of  bonds.  Thirty-three  more  bonds, 
not  yet  numbered,  and  also  unsigned,  were  found  in 
a  bureau  drawer  in  Martin's  room,  together  with  four 
counterfeit  dies,  several  seals,  including  two  electro 
type,  high  embossed  seals,  to  be  used  on  the  Morris 
&  Essex  bonds,  and  a  quantity  of  tracing  paper  upon 
which  could  be  plainly  discerned,  tracings  of  the 
signatures  of  the  various  officers  of  the  companies, 
whose  bonds  were  about  to  be  so  successfully  imitated. 
On  Brockway's  person  there  were  found  a  genuine 
$1,000  /-per-cent.  construction  bond  of  the  Morris  & 
Essex  Railroad,  a  $1,000  6-per-cent.  gold-bearing 
Central  Pacific  bond,  about  $160  in  money,  and  a 
number  of  criminating  stamps,  drawings,  and  letters. 
The  drawings  were  counterfeits  of  different  bonds, 
and  the  stamps  were  imitations  of  those  necessary  to 
the  completion  of  the  spurious  certificates.  One  of 
the  drawings  was  identified  as  that  of  a  counterfeit 


482  COUNTERFEITERS. 

U.  S.  revenue  stamp  for  a  $1,000  bond,  and  part  of 
a  genuine  bond,  the  back  of  which  was  cut  out  where 
the  stamp  fitted. 

From  all  that  can  be  learned,  it  is  not  believed 
that  any  of  these  counterfeits  have  been  put  upon  the 
market,  either  in  this  country  or  abroad,  and  the  ar 
rest  was  made  in  the  very  nick  of  time,  as  from  the 
completeness  of  everything  found,  it  was  but  a  ques 
tion  of  a  few  days  when  these  daring  forgers  would 
have  realized  probably  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dol 
lars  from  their  fraudulent  issue  of  the  certificates  they 
had  so  ingeniously  and  so  laboriously  prepared.  Noth 
ing  superior  to  this  work  has  ever  been  discovered  by 
those  who  have  examined  these  bonds.  It  was  abso 
lutely  necessary  to  submit  them  under  a  strong  glass, 
in  order  to  even  doubt  their  genuineness,  so  marvel- 
ously  perfect  are  they  in  every  minute  particular  and 
detail 

Of  the  three  men  who  performed  this  work,  a 
few  words  may  be  required.  Of  Brockway  and  his 
career,  however,  the  reader  has  already  been  fully 
imformed,  but  of  the  other  two,  I  desire  to  say  a  few 
words. 

Lewis  R.  Martin  is  believed  to  be  the  capitalist  of 
the  gang.  He  is  sixty  years  old,  and  is  a  fine  looking 
man,  whose  face  is  familiar  to  all  frequenters  of  the 
racing  tracks  throughout  the  country.  In  1875,  this 


CO  UN  TERFEITERS.  483 

fine  old  gentleman  was  indicted  in  the  United  States 
Court  of  the  Western  District  of  Pennsylvania,  as 
an  accomplice  of  Henry  Maxie  alias  Sweet,  in  pass 
ing  counterfeit  $500  treasury  notes;  but  by  some 
means  he  escaped  being  tried  for  this  offense.  Previ 
ous  to  that  time,  the  records  of  the  secret  service 
show  that  he  was  known  as  an  engraver  and  printer 
of  counterfeits  under  the  name  of  Luther  R.  Mar 
tin.  He  owned  the  plate  from  which  the  counterfeit 
$500  notes  were  printed,  and  was  intimately  ac 
quainted  with  Brockway,  Tom  Ballard  and  Hank 
Hall,  in  producing  this  remarkable  bill.  He  was  the 
principal  in  the  counterfeit  $100  compound-interest 
note  job,  and  was  an  important  member  of  the  gang 
that  floated  the  $50  legal-tender  frauds,  but  during 
the  preparation  of  these  last  forgeries,  he  was  well 
known  in  commercial  circles,  as  being  extensively  en 
gaged  in  the  transportation  of  cattle  between  Aus 
tralia,  New  York,  and  England,  in  which  he  was  do 
ing  a  legitimate  and  thriving  business. 

Nathan  R.  Foster,  the  third  prisoner,  is  about 
forty-three  years  old,  and  a  native  of  Bradford,  111. 
It  is  apparent  that  he  was  brought  on  to  New  York 
to  perform  an  important  part  of  the  work  on  this  big 
job,  for  he  is  comparatively  a  stranger  in  the  east,  and 
had  been  in  the  city  only  from  the  time  when  the  pre 
parations  of  these  forgeries  were  first  discovered. 


484  CO  UN  TERFEITERS. 

He  was  the  occupant  of  the  Lexington  Avenue 
house,  and  kept  to  his  work  there  very  closely.  He 
rarely  left  the  premises,  and  was  not  easy  to  follow 
when  he  did  venture  out.  Even  in  the  morning  when 
he  would  walk  out  to  procure  a  drink  of  liquor, 
he  used  elaborate  precautions  to  prevent  his  being 
observed,  without  his  knowledge.  Foster's  father, 
his  sister  and  his  brother-in-law  James  Doyle,  are  all 
counterfeiters.  In  1868  he  was  arrested  in  Quincy, 
111.,  but  gave  bail  for  his  appearance  and  was  never 
tried.  He  was  an  intimate  associate  of  Theodore 
Shotwell  alias  Tom  King,  the  counterfeiter  and  bank- 
burglar,  who  died  recently  in  Greenland,  California. 
Since  the  latter's  death,  Foster  has  been  passing  as 
the  husband  of  Shotwell's  sister,  a  Mrs.  Blakely,  al 
together,  these  three  men  are  considered  as  the  most 
finished  and  daring  artisans  in  their  particular  profes 
sion,  and  now  that  they  have  been  at  last  secured,  the 
whole  financial  circle  of  the  country  breathes  a  sigh 
of  relief,  and  experiences  a  sense  of  security  and 
safety. 


CO  UNTERFE1 TERS.  485 


A  GENIUS  AMONG  COUNTERFEITERS. 

AMONG  the  most  prominent  of  the  counterfeiting 
fraternity,  and  one  who  used  his  fine  talents  to  im 
prove  the  devices  of  his  art,  was  Thomas  Ballard, 
who  was  almost  a  phenomenon  in  criminal  annals. 
Handsome  in  person  and  captivating  in  manner,  his 
appearance  was  genteel  and  refined  to  a  remarkable 
degree.  His  personal  habits  also  were  unexception 
able.  He  never  smoked  a  cigar  or  drank  a  glass  of 
liquor,  and  all  his  associations  were  among  the  re 
spectable  people  and  the  upper  classes  of  New  York. 
He  was  at  one  time  the  master  of  a  Masonic  lodge, 
and  was  everywhere  regarded  as  above  reproach,  and 
yet  this  man  was  one  of  the  most  expert  and  success 
ful  counterfeiters  which  the  country  has  ever  pro 
duced. 

A  short  description  of  his  career  and  his  remark 
able  achievements  cannot  fail  to  prove  of  interest,  in 
the  study  of  this  wonderful  science  of  counterfeiting. 

The  father  of  Thomas  Ballard  was  a  carriage- 
painter,  and  to  this  business  the  young  man  was 
brought  up.  So  carefully  did  he  apply  himself  that 
he  soon  became  one  of  the  most  proficient  experts 
in  his  line,  particularly  in  the  fancy  or  more  artistic 
branches  of  the  work.  As  he  grew  older  he  became 


486  CO  UNTERPEI TERS. 

anxious  to  make  money  more  rapidly,  and  he  was 
seized  with  an  ambition  to  occupy  a  vastly  higher 
social  position.  His  uneasiness,  his  talent,  his  enter 
prise  or  his  destiny,  if  we  may  call  it  so,  led  him  to  New 
York  City,  where  in  1858,  at  eighteen  years  of  age, 
he  engaged  himself  with  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
carriage  builders  of  the  metropolis,  whose  name  was 
Henry  Hinman.  This  gentleman,  unfortunately  for 
Thomas  Ballard,  was  related  by  marriage  to  the 
noted  Joshua  D.  Miner,  a  noted  politician,  a  city 
contractor  and  the  autocrat  of  the  Coney  men,  and  it 
was  an  evil  day  for  the  young  man  when  he  made  his 
acquaintance.  Miner  carefully  observed  young  Bal- 
lard's  genius  and  ambition,  and  he  conceived  the  idea 
that  he  had  found  the  very  person  to  serve  his  pur 
poses  in  the  grand  criminal  schemes  of  counterfeit 
ing  which  occupied  his  mind.  The  young  man 
proved  a  pliant  tool  in  the  hands  of  the  more  ex 
perienced  tempter,  and  Ballard  was  induced  to  ac 
quire  the  art  of  bank  note  engraving,  which  he  did 
by  serving  four  years  in  one  of  the  New  York  bank 
note  companies.  While  thus  engaged,  and  through 
Miner's  political  influence,  the  young  engraver  was 
enabled  to  obtain  by  actual  observation,  a  full  knowl 
edge  of  the  operations  of  the  Treasury  Department. 
As  early  as  1862  Thomas  Ballard,  under  the  di 
rection  of  Miner,  and  Henry  C.  Cole,  one  of  the 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  487 

most  successful  counterfeiters  of  his  day,  produced 
a  plate  for  printing  counterfeits  of  the  one-dollar 
U.  S.  Treasury  notes  of  the  old  issue.  Though  ex 
tensively  and  variously  used,  this  first  plate  was  a 
poor  thing  in  comparison  to  subsequent  work  from 
the  same  hands,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
standard  of  discrimination  was  not  as  high  as  at  the 
present  time.  The  next  plate  prepared  was  a  two- 
dollar  counterfeit  on  the  National  Shoe  &  Leather 
Bank  of  New  York.  Following  this  came  a  ten-dol 
lar  counterfeit  on  the  same  bank,  and  then  embol 
dened  by  their  success  they  produced  imitations  of 
the  one-hundred  and  five-hundred-dollar  old  issue  U. 
S.  Treasury  note,  and  an  immense  amount  more  of 
the  same  general  description,  just  as  the  supposed 
emergencies  of  a  vast  scheme  for  counterfeiting  the 
United  States  currency  required. 

A  more  dangerous  criminal  combination  than 
that  of  which  Thomas  Ballard  became  an  employee 
and  partner  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine,  and  no 
more  favorable  circumstances  for  the  success  of  their 
fraudulent  operations  could  have  been  found  in  the 
history  of  a  thousand  years.  The  principal  members 
of  this  gan<n,  were  Henry  Hinman,  Joshua  D.  Miner 
and  Thomas  Ballard.  Hinman  and  Miner  were  the 
capitalists  and  managers,  and  Thomas  Ballard  was 
at  once  an  engraver,  a  chemist,  an  inventor,  a  me- 


488  CO  UN TERFEITERS. 

chanic  of  rare  skill  and  an  expert  in  the  manufacture 
of  paper.  The  financial  resources  of  these  men  were 
great  to  begin  with,  and  they  occupied  respectable 
positions  in  society  and  the  world  of  business.  The 
necessities  of  the  war  compelled  the  government  to 
a  hasty  issue  of  hundreds  of  millions  of  new  and 
different  kinds  of  legal  tenders,  securities  and  paper 
money.  All  was  excitement,  change,  bustle  and  con 
fusion,  and  the  counterfeiters  pushing  their  felonious 
purposes  with  coolness  and  industry,  found  them 
selves  the  masters  of  a  business  which  was  a  virtual 
open  sesame  to  the  riches  of  the  nation.  As  the 
government  multiplied  its  issues  and  enlarged  its 
indebtedness,  these  men  with  the  use  of  Ballard's 
perfectly  prepared  plates,  ran  a  race  with  the  Treas 
ury  department  in  the  inflation  of  the  currency. 
Vastly  as  this  was  increased,  the  percentage  of 
counterfeits  made,  was  for  a  long  time  as  great  as 
ever.  Thomas  Ballard  was  compelled  to  be  very 
industrious,  as  he  not  only  made  the  plates  for  the 
counterfeits,  but  he  was  also  the  only  man  in  exist 
ence,  outside  of  the  Glen  Mills,  at  West  Chester  Pa., 
who  could  make  the  famous  government  fiber  paper, 
which  was  supposed  to  be  proof  against  imitation. 
These  mills  were  run  exclusively  for  the  Treasury 
department,  under  the  supervision  of  official  watch 
men,  and  the  counterfeiters  being  unable  to  purchase 


COUNTERFEITERS.  489 

any  of  this  paper  at  any  price,  were  compelled  to 
manufacture  every  ounce  of  the  stock  used  in  the 
counterfeiting  of  United  States  Treasury  notes  and 
the  fractional  currency.  For  the  National  Bank  bills, 
however,  they  were  enabled  to  buy  white  bond  paper, 
such  as  is  used  by  railroad  companies  and  other  cor 
porations,  and  to  treat  it  chemically  so  as  to  tinge  it 
properly  to  imitate  the  Treasury  department  material. 
At  his  obscure  quarters,  which  were  occupied  by 
his  aunt  and  his  brother,  Thomas  Ballard  worked 
almost  daily  as  an  engraver,  paper  maker,  colorist 
and  ink  manufacturer,  universal  genius  and  practic 
ally  jack-of-all-trades  as  long  as  daylight  lasted. 
Leaving  this  house  at  nightfall,  and  giving  his  neigh 
bors  there  to  understand  that  he  was  a  night  watch 
man  in  the  custom  house,  he  would  proceed  to  his 
comfortable  and  well  furnished  home  in  upper  New 
York,  where  his  unsuspicious  wife  awaited  his  com 
ing.  Thus  the  people  about  his  home,  supposed  him 
to  be  successfully  employed  all  day  in  a  carriage 
factory  down  town,  while  those  near  the  building 
which  he  used  as  a  work-shop,  supposed  him  to  be 
a  single  young  man  who  was  employed  all  night  in 
the  custom  house,  and  who  remained  at  home  all 
day  in  bed.  By  these  means  the  counterfeiter  lived 
without  suspicion,  respected,  in  the  double  life  he 
pretended,  by  two  sets  of  people  upon  whom  he  im- 

21* 


490  COUNTERFEITERS. 

posed,  and  certainly  with  reason,  highly  prized  by 
those  who  were  associated  with  him  in  his  true 
character. 

The  Treasury  Department  and  the  money  experts 
of  the  United  States  felt  satisfied  that  the  fiber  paper, 
was  a  complete  protection  against  counterfeiting. 
When,  at  last,  the  discovery  was  made  that  their 
vaunted  safeguard  had  been  successfully  imitated,  the 
department  was  literally  dumbfounded  over  Ballard's 
work.  The  best  engravers  owned  him  to  be  their 
superior,  and  declared,  with  no  little  truth,  that  he 
must  have  acquired  his  art  in  the  Treasury  building. 
As  year  after  year  went  on,  and  still  no  issues  ap 
peared  from  the  presses  of  Ballard  &  Co.,  the  coun 
try  became  infested  with  all  kinds  of  spurious  paper 
money.  Losses  were  frequent,  the  lawful  currency 
was  disparaged  and  the  capture  of  the  unknown 
producers  of  all  this  vast  amount  of  fraud  became  an 
imperative  necessity.  But  through  the  adroit  man 
agement  of  Miner,  the  watchfulness  of  Henry  C, 
Cole  as  a  dealer,  and  the  temperate  prudence  of  Bal 
lard,  the  arrest  and  conviction  of  this  gang  was  made 
as  difficult,  as  it  was  for  any  ordinary  person  to  de 
tect  the  artistic  imitations  of  money  they  were 
engaged  for  so  long  a  time  in  throwing  into  circula 
tion. 

Joshua  D.  Miner  was  known   to   the  police  ;  but 


CO  UNTERFE1 TERS.  49 1 

his  craft,  his  unbounded  command  of  money,  and  his 
influence  in  this  city  and  in  organized  societies,  all 
combined,  under  his  resolute  will  and  perfect  cool 
ness  to  save  him  from  arrest,  though  probably  not  a 
man  upon  the  Government  Detective  force,  and 
aware  of  his  existence,  but  was  as  confident  of  his 
guilt  as  conviction  in  court  would  have  made  them. 
A  detective  is  justly  allowed  some  latitude  at  times, 
but  he  must  work  within  the  law,  and  rigidly  respect 
the  rights  of  citizens  even  in  mere  technicalities,  or 
otherwise  his  case  is  lost.  To  arrest  Miner,  there 
fore,  without  full  proof  and  due  process  was  worse 
than  useless,  and  to  show  cause  against  him  seemed 
almost  impossible.  Whether  continued  immunity 
made  him  over-bold  at  last,  or  whether  he  grew 
weary  of  seemingly  needless  precautions  does  not  ap 
pear  ;  but,  at  all  events,  he  soon  became  well  known 
to  an  inconvenient  number  of  criminals  in  his  own 
line,  and  in  consequence  of  this  multiplicity  of  ac 
quaintances,  he  at  last  found  himself,  through  the 
imprudence  of  some  of  his  agents,  in  the  grasp  of  the 
officers  of  the  law. 

The  arrest  of  Miner  led  to  serious  complications, 
and  to  purchase  his  own  freedom  he  surrendered  some 
of  the  plates  in  his  possession,  and  being  pressed  for 
others,  he  made  disclosures  and  false  statements, 
which  eventually  led  to  the  disruption  of  the  gang, 


492  COUNTERFEITERS. 

and  the  arrest  of  all  the  parties  connected  with  their 
gigantic  schemes  of  fraud. 

The  manner  of  Miner's  arrest  was  as  follows  : — 
From  the  nature  of  their  business  great  care  was 
necessary  in  order  to  cover  their  transactions  as 
much  as  possible,  and  so  these  counterfeits  passed 
through  a  number  of  hands  before  they  reached  the 
person  who  was  to  place  them  in  circulation.  Henry 
C.  Cole  was  what  is  known  as  the  "first  hand  man," 
or  wholesale  dealer.  Cole,  after  receiving  the  coun 
terfeits  in  large  quantities,  would  distribute  them  to 
perhaps  half-a-dozen  dealers  in  quantities  ranging 
from  $100  to  $5,000,  and  these  men  in  turn  would  sell 
to  probably  twenty  still  smaller  dealers,  and  thus  by 
the  time  the  counterfeit  notes  reached  the  market 
the  number  of  hands  through  which  they  had  passed, 
and  the  secret  and  careful  manner  in  which  these 
transactions  were  conducted  made  it  exceedingly 
difficult  to  trace  these  fraudulent  imitations  to  their 
original  source. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  these  operations 
were  continuously  conducted  for  more  than  four 
years,  Thomas  Ballard,  and  his  brother,  never  saw 
Cole,  and  Cole  in  turn  was  in  perfect  ignorance  of 
the  existence  of  the  Ballards.  The  parties  to  whom 
Cole  sold  his  goods  did  not  know  either  Miner  or 


CO  UN  TERFEITERS.  493 

the  Ballard   Bros.,  and,  in   fact,  the  only  man  known 
to  and  by  Ballard  was  Miner  himself. 

Among  the  number,  however,  connected  with  this 
gigantic  combination,  was  one  Bill  Gurney,  one  of 
the  heaviest  dealers  in  counterfeit  money  in  the 
United  States.  After  a  time,  Gurney  discovered 
that  Miner  was  the  fountain  head  of  supply,  and  he 
began  to  deal  direct  with  that  individual.  Gurney, 
however,  was  not  as  temperate  as  Tom  Ballard,  as 
wary  as  Cole,  or  as  sagacious  as  Miner,  and  i;i  conse 
quence  of  his  want  of  care,  he  in  time  ;  ta  grief 
himself,  and,  as  a  natural  consequence^  invo  ed  ,the 
others  in  his  fall. 

The  Ballard  counterfeit  of  the  $20  National 
and  Leather  Bank  of   N.  Y.,  made   its  appearanc 
1870,  and  was  soon  traced  to  Gurney,  as  a  who] 
dealer.     A  watch  was  placed   upon  this  gentleman, 
and  he  was  arrested  in  the  act  of  selling  his  unlawful 
wares  to   a   detective,  who   had    personated   succ 
fully  the  character  of  a  buyer.      Gurney,  to  save  him 
self,  informed  on  Miner,  and  Miner  in  turn  made  the 
revelations  I  have  mentioned  above. 

These  revelations  secured  Miner  his  freedom,  but 
they  excited  the  other  members  of  the  gang  to  a 
spirit  of  revenge,  and  they  resolved  to  amply  repay 
him  for  his  contemptible  actions.  During  all  this 
time,  and  amid  all  this  ill-feeling,  Thomas  Ballard 


494  co  UNTERFE1 TERS. 

was  entirely  unknown,  and  perfectly  ignorant  of  the 
tempest  that  was  in  motion  around  him.  Miner  had 
not  included  him  in  his  revelations  and  he  was  there 
fore  untouched. 

Cole  having  been  arrested  by  Miner's  acting  and 
placed  under  heavy  bonds,  entered  into  an  arrange 
ment  to  secure  the  capture  of  Miner,  upon  important 
grounds,  and  to  save  himself.  Nursing  his  wrath, 
therefore,  and  preserving  an  outward  friendliness,  he 
began  to  negotiate  with  Miner,  for  some  of  his  goods 
and  plates.  An  agreement  was  made  to  meet  at  a 
certain  obscure  locality  in  New  York  City,  and  the 
detectives  were  on  hand,  disguised  as  laborers,  with 
picks  and  shovels,  as  though  returning  from  some 
job  of  night  work. 

The  night  was  extremely  dark,  a  heavy  mist  hung 
in  the  air,  and  the  rain  descended  in  torrents,  as  Cole 
took  up  his  position  of  waiting.  Shortly  afterward, 
a  man  came  into  view  through  the  darkness  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  street,  and  was  soon  joined  by 
another.  They  then  walked  together  out  to  the 
intersection  of  the  streets,  and  stood  in  the  open 
space  unmindful  of  the  drenching  storm  to  which 
they  were  exposed.  The  officers  crept  out  as  near 
to  the  two  men  in  the  street  as  possible,  without 
being  noticed,  and  then  lay  down  flat  in  the  mud. 
One  of  the  counterfeiters  had  a  large  umbrella,  and 


COUNTERFEITERS.  495 

when  his  companion  reached  his  side,  he  closed  it 
down  over  the  two,  so  that  neither  of  them  could  be 
distinctly  seen,  nor  could  it  be  detected  what  they 
were  doing.  The  detectives  strained  their  ears,  but 
they  could  not  distinguish  a  word  of  the  conversation 
that  was  going  on  so  near  them.  Presently,  how 
ever,  the  two  men  separated  and  started  off  in  dif 
ferent  directions.  The  critical  moment  had  now 
arrived,  and  one  of  the  detectives  instantly  caught 
hold  of  the  man  nearest  him.  A  desperate  struggle 
ensued,  in  which  the  detective's  fingers  were  badly 
bitten,  while  the  counterfeiter  had  four  teeth  knocked 
out,  and  in  the  melee,  the  plates  and  the  marked 
money  which  Cole  had  been  furnished  with  to  hand 
over  to  his  victim,  were  hurled  away  into  the  dark 
ness  ;  the  money  package  broken,  and  the  bills  scat 
tered  in  the  mud  of  the  street.  This  man  proved  to 
be  Joshua  D.  Miner,  and  he  soon  found  himself 
powerless  for  further  resistance.  The  second  officer 
had  immediately  followed  the  rapidly  retreating 
second  party.  Laying  his  hand  suddenly  upon  the 
broad  breast  of  the  stranger,  he  flashed  his  revolver 
in  dangerous  proximity  to  his  head.  A  few  energetic 
words  convinced  the  escaping  man  of  the  folly  of 
resistance,  and  he  yielded  without  a  struggle. 

This  man   gave  his  name  as  Thomas    A  very,  and 
declared    his  business    to  be   that   of  a  painter.      In- 


496  COUNTERFEITERS. 

quiries  soon  developed  the  fact  that  the  captured  in 
dividual  was  none  other  than  the  famous  and  long 
sought  counterfeiter,  Thomas  Ballard.  Ballard  broke 
down  under  the  humiliating  circumstances,  and  be 
lieving  that  Miner  had  selfishly  made  him  the  victim 
of  his  own  acts,  ultimately  revealed  the  full  particu 
lars  of  the  whole  business,  and  informed  the  officers 
where  the  tools,  implements  and  materials  could  be 
found. 

This  arrest  occurred  on  the  25th  day  of  October, 
1871,  and  on  the  I5th  day  of  November  Ballard  and 
two  other  criminals  succeeded  in  escaping  from  Lud- 
low  Street  Jail,  which  has  frequently  been  the  scene 
of  miraculous  and  inexplicable  escapes,  both  before 
and  since  this  event.  There  is  little  doubt  that  Mi 
ner's  moiiey  opened  the  prison  doors  for  his  skillful 
employee,  and  thus  removed  the  principal  witness 
against  him  at  his  coming  trial. 

From  Ballard's  revelations,  the  detectives  suc 
ceeded  in  securing  a  vast  number  of  counterfeiting 
material,  among  which  were  a  $1,000  unfinished  plate 
of  United  States  Treasury  note,  five  unfinished 
plates  of  National  bank-notes  of  two  dollars,  ten 
dollars  and  twenty  dollars  ;  a  large  number  of  mis 
cellaneous  plates  of  various  descriptions  and  denomi 
nations;  forty-five  thousand  dollars  in  counterfeit 
money,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  counterfeit 


CO  UN TRRFEITERS.  497 

fiber  paper  and  all  the  complete  appliances  for  mak 
ing  the  same. 

After  Ballard's  escape  a  reward  of  five  thousand 
dollars  was  offered  for  his  apprehension,  but  he  re 
mained  successfully  hidden  until  the  I2th  day  of  Oc 
tober,  18/4.  When  a  sharp  criminal  escapes  he  does 
not  go  off  on  a  long  crazy  flight,  but  disappears,  as 
near  his  prison  as  convenient,  for  a  time.  Ballard 
remained  in  the  city  of  New  York,  or  its  vicinity, 
week  after  week,  before  he  finally  departed  for  the 
country.  At  the  elate  above  mentioned,  however, 
the  detectives  had  finally  located  Thomas  Ballard  in 
a  small  frame  cottage  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  again  engaged  in  this 
nefarious  occupation  of  counterfeiting. 

When  the  officers  made  their  appearance  and  de 
manded  admission,  a  man  was  seen  to  emerge  from  a 
window  in  the  attic  and  climb  out  upon  the  roof  with 
i lie  agility  of  a  cat.  He  was  at  once  recognized  as 
Thomas  Ballard,  and  ordered  to  come  down.  This 
he  declined  to  do,  and  began  to  run  on  the  roof  as 
if  to  get  away  in  some  manner,  but  a  shot  from  a 
revolver  being  sent  over  the  house  after  him,  the 
would-be  fugitive  showed  his  good  sense  by  surren 
dering  at  once.  He  was  immediately  secured  and 
put  in  irons. 

The    interior   of    this   house  was  found  to  be  a 


498  COUNTERFEITERS, 

miniature  Treasury  Department  on  its  own  account, 
fitted  up  with  every  modern  convenience  for  coun 
terfeiting.  A  complete  chemical  laboratory  was 
found  in  one  of  the  rooms,  presses  and  paper  occu 
pied  another,  and  the  plates  used  in  printing  coun 
terfeits  were  discovered  in  a  third.  Among  the 
paper  taken  was  a  large  roll  of  the  imitation  fibre 
paper,  equal  in  every  respect  to  that  manufactured 
by  the  secret  printing  service  of  the  United  States; 
steel  and  electrotype  plates,  printing-presses,  engra 
vers'  tools,  and  in  fact  the  full  pharaphernalia  of  a 
first-class  establishment,  including  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  excellently  exe 
cuted  counterfeit  money. 

At  the  time  of  his  arrest  Ballard  was  engaged 
upon  a  steel  counterfeit  plate  of  the  bank  of  British 
North  America  of  Montreal,  Canada.  One  of  the 
experts  who  examined  this  plate  under  a  magnifying 
glass,  declared  that  Thomas  Ballard  had  the  ability, 
as  he  boasted,  "to  bankrupt  all  Canada."  For,  in 
appearance,  the  other  counterfeits  which  had  been 
successfully  circulated,  were  no  more  to  be  compared 
to  this  one  in  fineness  of  execution  and  perfection  of 
detail,  than  an  ordinary  wood-cut  was  to  a  fine  steel 
engraving. 

If  the  workshop  would  have  been  a  cariosity  to 
the  skilled  mechanic,  the  sitting-room  in  this  little 


CO  UNTERFE1 TERS.  499 

frame  building,  which  was  used  by  Ballard  as  a  study, 
would  have  been  none  the  less  so  to  the  ripe  and 
progressive  scholar  in  chemistry.  Files  of  the  Scien 
tific  American  and  other  scientific  periodicals  were 
there,  the  tables  were  covered  with  rare  books,  and 
treatises  on  practical  chemistry  and  metallurgy,  elec 
tricity,  paper-making  and  photography.  In  fact, 
everything  gave  indication  of  the  perfect  scientist  and 
the  advanced  scholar. 

Notwithstanding  his  wonderful  abilities,  Thomas 
Ballard  was  a  criminal.  He  had  prostituted  his  great 
talents  to  base  uses — and  his  sins  had  found  him  out. 
He  was  conducted  to  the  Auburn  jail,  and  after 
remaining  quietly  there  for  three  days,  he  opened  the 
doors  of  the  prison  and  walked  out  upon  the  streets 
of  Auburn.  He  might  again  have  escaped  the  penalty 
of  his  crimes,  but  he  was  penniless  and  destitute,  and 
in  a  moment  of  weakness  he  telegraphed  to  his  friends 
in  New  York  for  money.  This  was  furnished  him, 
but  the  detectives  had  learned  of  his  application,  and 
when  he  appeared  in  disguise  to  claim  the  money  he 
was  rearrested  and  conveyed  back  to  jail.  Again  he 
made  an  attempt  to  escape,  and  although  he  succeeded 
in  breaking  out  of  his  prison,  he  was  recaptured 
within  two  days.  He  was  finally  brought  to  trial  at 
Albany  in  January,  1875,  and,  being  convicted  of  the 
charges  preferred  against  him,  was  sentenced  to 


500  COUNTERFEITERS. 

undergo  an  imprisonment  in  the  Albany  Penitentiary 
of  thirty  years.  Upon  the  announcement  of  this 
dreadful  doom,  the  crushed  and  broken  prisoner  fell 
down  in  a  dead  swoon  in  the  open  court. 

During  his  imprisonment  Thomas  Ballard  has 
made  two  unsuccessful  attempts  at  self-destruction, 
the  last  one  being  on  the  1 6th  day  of  April,  1879.  He 
was  standing  quietly  at  his  work,  when  suddenly, 
without  any  previous  intimation  of  what  he  was  about 
to  do,  he  drew  a  sharp  knife  across  his  throat,  making 
a  wound  about  five  inches  long,  severing  the  muscles 
and  blood-vessels,  and  cutting  the  windpipe  almost 
asunder.  For  many  days  after  this  rash  act,  he  did 
not  speak,  and  his  death  was  looked  upon  as  almost 
certain.  But  it  seems  that  after  all  fate,  which  to  him 
had  assuredly  been  severe,  had  not  finally  doomed 
him  to  a  horrible  death  by  suicide.  Since  his  recovery 
he  has  been  a  patient,  resigned  man,  submitting  in 
silence  to  the  dreadful  punishment  which  his  own 
unlawful  actions  have  brought  upon  him. 


COUNTERFEITERS.  501 


A  HERO  OF  BALAKLAVA  AS  A  COUNTERFEITER. 

HENRY  C.  COLE,  who  has  has  been  mentioned 
incidentally  in  connection  with  Thomas  Ballard  and 
Joshua  D.  Miner,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  thor 
ough  counterfeiters  known  in  criminal  annals.  He  is 
at  this  date  about  sixty-three  years  of  age,  and  as 
early  as  1854  he  was  arrested  and  convicted  for  pass 
ing  counterfeit  money.  At  that  time  he  was  working 
on  a  canal-boat  in  New  York,  the  captain  of  which 
was  a  regular  dealer  in  the  "  queer."  For  this  offense 
he  was  sentenced  to  an  imprisonment  of  five  years, 
which  he  faithfully  served.  Immediately  after  his  re 
lease,  he  resumed  his  calling  of  dealing  in  counterfeit 
money,  and  from  that  date  until  February,  1879,  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  the  fraudulent  occupation 
which  he  had  deliberately  chosen,  undergoing  various 
terms  of  imprisonment  during  that  period.  Up  to 
the  time  of  the  arrest  of  Miner  and  Ballard,  Cole  had 
simply  acted  as  a  dealer  in  furnishing  to  the  smaller 
fraternity  such  amounts  as  they  desired,  he  receiving 
his  counterfeits  from  the  hands  of  Miner,  direct. 
When  this  gang  was  disorganized  and  broken  up, 
however,  and  after  Cole  had  managed  to  escape  the 
machinations  of  his  enemies,  a  process  that  was  costly 
in  the  extreme,  he  commenced  the  business  of  manu- 


502 


CO  UNTERFE1 TERS. 


facturing  counterfeits  on  his  own  account.  For  this 
purpose  he  sought  out  Charles  Ulrich,  a  skillful  and 
pains-taking  engraver,  who  had  been  previously  en 
gaged  in  counterfeiting,  and  Jacob  Ott,  a  thorough 
practical  lithographer,  who  also  had  some  experience 
in  that  line  of  work.  This  combination  of  genius, 
artistic  skill  and  phenomenal  audacity  perfected  sev 
eral  of  the  most  dangerous  imitations  that  were  ever 
imposed  upon  the  financial  world. 

As  my  intention  is  to  disclose  fully,  the  means 
and  devices  used  by  these  counterfeiters  in  producing 
their  deceptive  imitations,  I  will  devote  a  few  words 
to  the  two  experts  who  joined  with  Henry  C.  Cole 
in  his  assaults  upon  the  public. 

For  practical  industrial  skill,  artistic  genius,  in 
tellectual  capacity  and  general  education,  the  criminal 
world  has  produced  no  one  superior  to  Charles 
Frederick  Ulrich.  This  man  was  born  near  Berlin,  in 
Prussia,  in  1836.  When  about  fourteen  years  old  he 
was  apprenticed  to  an  engraver,  under  whom  he 
worked  and  studied  for  nearly  five  years,  when  he 
emigrated  to  England.  As  to  the  particular  causes 
which  compelled  him  to  leave  his  native  land  at  so 
early  an  age,  there  are  different  statements  advanced. 
Ulrich  himself  under  oath  in  the  United  States 
courts,  declared  that  he  went  to  England  with  the 
full  knowledge  and  consent  of  his  father,  in  order  to 


COUNTERFEITERS.  503 

escape  the  conscription  which  requires  military  service 
of  all  the  young  men  of  Prussia  when  about  twenty 
years  of  age.  There  is  another  story  afloat,  however, 
which  if  true,  shows  that  Ulrich  was  engaged  in 
criminal  transactions  even  in  his  early  youth.  From 
this  account  it  appears  that  the  city  of  Berlin  was 
thrown  into  a  fever  of  excitement,  by  the  victimizing 
of  five  large  banking  houses  in  that  place  through  a 
number  of  forged  acceptances,  which  had  been  nego 
tiated.  Five  different  and  totally  dissimilar  descrip 
tions  were  furnished  the  police,  of  the  person  who 
passed  the  fraudulent  paper,  by  as  many  bank  clerks. 
The  police,  however,  fastened  their  suspicions  on 
young  Ulrich,  and  he  becoming  aware  of  the  fact  fled 
to  England.  He  is  also  said  to  have  engaged  in 
crooked  work  while  there,  and  to  be  the  only  person 
who  ever  successfully  engraved  an  imitation  of  the 
Bank  of  England  paper.  In  consequence  of  his  ef 
forts  in  this  direction,  Ulrich  is  alleged  to  have 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  English  authorities,  and 
was  obliged  in  turn  to  leave  that  country,  from  which 
he  fled  to  America.  Whichever  statement  is  true,  it 
is  certain  that  the  young  man  left  a  comfortable  home 
in  Prussia,  and  arrived  in  the  United  States  without 
either  money  or  definite  prospects. 

This  occurred  in  1853,  and  after  wandering  about 
the  city    in   the    unsuccessful    search    for    work,    for 


504  COUNTERFEITERS. 

about  ten  days,  Ulrich  fell  in  with  a  party  of  English 
men,  who  were  privately  recruiting  in  New  York  for 
the  British  army,  then  preparing  for  war  with  Russia. 
From  his  own  account  of  himself,  Ulrich  became  a 
member  of  that  renowned  organization,  known  as 
"  The  Light  Brigade,"  and  was  present  at  that 
famous  charge  at  Balaklava  which  has  immortalized 
every  member  of  that  daring  band.  Our  purpose  is 
not,  however,  to  detail  the  life  of  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  but  to  describe  his  career  and  operations  as  a 
counterfeiter.  Charles  Ulrich  was  severely  wounded 
at  Balaklava,  and  for  thirty-six  hours  he  lay  upon  the 
field  of  battle,  his  skull  crushed  by  a  Russian  musket, 
and  the  blood  welling  up  from  a  bayonet  wound  in 
his  side.  He  was  finally  found,  and  being  carefully 
nursed,  recovered,  and  was  transported  to  England, 
discharged,  and  paid  off.  The  choice  was  offered  him 
of  lands  at  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  seven  years  in 
the  militia,  or  extra  pay  to  the  amount  of  over 
eighteen  pounds  in  money.  Ulrich  accepted  the 
money,  and  returned  to  the  United  States. 

This  was  in  1854,  and  for  a  young  man  hardly  of 
age,  who  expatriated  himself  to  keep  out  of  the 
army,  Ulrich  had  obtained  a  pretty  thorough  knowl 
edge  of  war.  In  the  light  of  his  subsequent  career, 
it  would  have  been  far  better  for  himself  and  those 
who  were  associated  with  him,  if  his  bones  had 


COUNTERFEITERS.  505 

whitened  on  the  bloody  field  of  Balaklava,  and  he 
had  then  died  a  hero's  death. 

More  fortunate  than  when  he  first  came  to  New 
York,  Ulrich  soon  found  remunerative  employment 
at  his  trade,  and  for  a  long  time  after  his  second  ar 
rival  in  America,  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  mysteries 
that  ever  befogged  the  minds  of  American  detectives. 
It  soon  became  evident  that  a  master  hand  was  at 
work  in  the  country,  but  who  and  where  he  was  be 
came  an  aggravating  conundrum.  Ten-dollar  notes 
raised  to  hundreds  were  discovered  to  be  in  circula 
tion,  and  these  were  the  product  of  the  most  consum 
mate  art.  A  long  and  fruitless  investigation  followed, 
and  all  that  could  be  learned  was  that  it  was  the  work 
of  a  certain  unknown  "  Dutch  Charlie,"  but  this  was 
all. 

After  a  time,  however,  he  became  entangled  in  the 
meshes  of  the  law  as  all  criminals  of  his  class  are  sure 
to  do,  and  he  was  arrested  and  imprisoned.  The  first 
charge  that  was  brought  against  him  was  for  engrav 
ing  a  vignette  on  a  copper  card  plate,  and  he  claimed 
that  he  was  not  aware  what  it  was  to  be  used  for. 
He  was  tried  and  sentenced  to  five  years'  imprison 
ment  at  Sing  Sing  prison,  but  in  1861  he  was  set  at 
liberty.  Within  a  year  from  this  time  he  began 
counterfeiting  in  practical  earnest,  as  a  regular  pro 
fession.  He  had  made  the  acquaintance  in  prison  of 


22 


So6  CO  UN  TERFEITERS. 

two  well-known  counterfeiters,  and  after  their  release 
they  searched  out  Ulrich  and  introduced  him  to 
Jimmy  Colbert,  who  was  intimately  connected  with  a 
large  gang  of  counterfeiters,  among  whom  Henry  C. 
Cole  was  the  most  prominent  figure.  This  unlawful 
combination  sealed  the  fate  of  the  young  Prussian 
engraver,  and  from  that  time  he  was  identified  with 
most  of  the  ambitious  and  successful  counterfeits  that 
have  been  imposed  upon  the  community.  Ulrich 
confined  himself  to  engraving  the  plates  for  these 
fraudulent  issues,  and  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
printing  or  with  getting  them  upon  the  market.  From 
the  fifty-cent  currency  note  to  the  $500  note  he  was 
equally  perfect  and  pains-taking,  and  his  work  was  held 
in  high  repute  among  the  leading  "  Koniackers"  of 
the  country.  Among  the  number  of  plates  which  he 
engraved  was  a  one-hundred-dollar  bill  of  Central 
National  Bank  of  N.  Y.  city,  with  a  number  of  skele 
ton  plates  as  already  described,  which  would  enable 
the  counterfeiters  to  produce  similar  bills  upon  the 
Ohio  National  Bank  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Boston,  Mass.  Two  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars  of  the  first  counterfeit  were  printed  and 
disposed  of  in  two  days.  By  shadowing  a  package 
of  money  directed  to  Charles  Ulrich  at  Cincinnati, 
the  detectives  arrested  that  gentleman  at  the  express 
office,  where  he  had  called  to  receive  it.  In  order  to 


COUNTERFEITERS.  507 

secure  the  clemency  of  the  law,  Ulrich  obtained 
and  surrendered  the  plates  above  described  and  all 
the  presses  and  appliances  used  in  printing  them. 
In  addition  to  these  he  also  surrendered  the  back 
plate  and  a  nearly  finished  front  plate  of  a  five- 
hundred-dollar  counterfeit  National  Banknote.  This 
last  note  was  pronounced  by  the  experts  of  the  Trea 
sury  Department  to  be,  in  all  respects,  equal  to  the 
genuine.  Notwithstanding  these  overtures  on  the 
part  of  Ulrich  he  was  finally  sentenced  to  an  imprison 
ment  of  twelve  years  in  the  state  prison  at  Columbus, 
Ohio.  He  remained  in  confinement  eight  years,  and 
was  pardoned  in  June,  1876. 

The  spirit  of  counterfeiting  seemed  now  to  have 
taken  possession  of  him,  and  before  the  year  of  his 
liberation  from  prison  expired,  he  had  formed  the 
partnership  with  Henry  C.  Cole  and  Jacob  Ott,  as 
mentioned  previously.  They  established  their  head 
quarters  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia  and  domiciled 
themselves  with  the  family  of  Jacob  Ott  at  a  place 
called  Oak  Lane,  about  six  miles  north  of  the  city. 
Ulrich  was  soon  at  work  upon  new  plates  for  printing 
counterfeit  fifty-dollar  notes  of  the  various  National 
Banks  of  the  state  of  New  York.  The  general  work 
on  the  genuine  plates  of  the  National  Bank  issues  is 
produced  by  regular  transfers  from  the  same  original 
dies,  and  of  course  should  be  precisely  alike.  This 


$o8  COUNTERFEITFRS. 

general  work  Ulrich  imitated  with  great  exactness, 
but  instead  of  engraving  the  name  of  any  particular 
bank  upon  his  plate,  he  left  that  part  of  the  surface 
untouched,  where  the  name  of  the  bank  and  its  loca 
tion  generally  appears,  so  that  when  his  bills  were 
struck  off  through  the  process  used  by  plate  printers, 
there  should  be  a  blank  space  left  for  the  name  of 
some  bank  and  that  of  the  town  or  city  where  it  was 
located.  Bills  thus  printed,  it  is  evident,  might  after 
ward  be  issued  in  the  name  of  any  bank,  the  title  of 
which  could  be  printed  in  the  blank  space  upon  them, 
that  is  to  say  upon  any  number  of  banks  in  the  state 
of  New  York,  having  titles  of  about  the  same  length 
or  number  of  letters.  To  print  these  several  titles, 
" skeleton  plates"  bearing  requisite  inscriptions,  were 
all  that  was  needed,  and  the  counterfeit  fifties  could 
be  issued  whenever  desired  in  exact  imitation  of  the 
bills  of  the  banks  which  they  had  selected  for  their 
purpose. 

Every  thing  now  being  prepared  for  work,  Henry 
C.  Cole,  who  was  the  capitalist  and  manager  of  the 
business,  secured  all  the  materials  and  implements  for 
printing,  among  which  was  a  plate  press  of  excellent 
design.  This  machine  was  set  up  in  the  attic  of 
Ott's  house,  and  the  printing  was  duly  commenced. 
Though  a  first-class  lithographer,  Ott  was  not  a  plate 
printer  by  trade,  and  the  work  he  did  at  first  was 


COUNTERFEITERS.  509 

evidence  of  his  want  of  experience.  But  whatever 
their  defects,  the  bills  were  readily  sold  by  Cole,  arid 
within  ten  days  over  $40,000  of  these  bills  were 
thrown  into  circulation.  The  first  bill  was  passed  in 
Baltimore  on  the  loth  of  May,  1877,  and  went 
through  one  of  the  banks  without  suspicion.  On 
the  nth,  a  similar  bill  was  passed  in  New  York,  and 
in  a  few  hours,  the  metropolitan  press  was  teeming 
with  the  news  of  a  new,  excellent  and  exceedingly 
dangerous  counterfeit  fifty-dollar  bill  on  the  Central 
National  Bank  of  that  city. 

The  counterfeiters,  however,  were  fully  prepared 
for  the  exposure,  and  before  the  public  had  re 
covered  from  the  first  scare,  they  issued  another  lot 
of  fifties  upon  an  entirely  different  bank,  by  the 
simple  process  of  using  their  skeleton  title  plate  to 
fill  in  the  blank  spaces  of  their  original  note.  Over 
$100,000  of  this  counterfeit  plate  were  used  and 
placed  in  circulation. 

Henry  C.  Cole,  though  one  of  the  "smartest" 
men  in  the  criminal  calendar  of  any  country,  was 
curiously  deficient  in  some  very  important  respects. 
Accustomed  for  years  to  imitations  of  the  currency, 
he  not  only  failed  to  understand  the  charter  number 
of  a  genuine  bill,  but  was  so  wanting  in  discrimina 
tion,  that  the  paper  he  selected  for  the  counterfeit 
on  the  Third  National  Bank  of  Buffalo  was  entirely 


5io  COUNTERFEITERS. 

too  thick  for  the  purpose,  and  resembled  pasteboard 
more  than  bank-note  paper.  As  a  matter  of  course 
this  second  fraud  was  far  less  dangerous,  and  was 
detected  almost  instantly. 

In  the  meantime,   Charles    Ulrich  had  finished  a 
new  plate  for  printing  five-dollar  bills  on  the  First  Na 
tional  Bank  of  Tamaqua,  Pa.     From  this  plate  eight 
thousand  bills,  $40,000  were  printed  and  soon  placed 
in  circulation.    This  issue  was  univerally  pronounced 
as  "very  dangerous,"    and  the  extensive  circulation 
of   that    bill   since,    even    among    so   called    "good 
judges,"   justifies   the    claims    for    excellence  which 
were  originally   made  for  it.     Shortly  after  this,  they 
printed  $100,000  of  fifty-dollar  notes  on  the    Trades 
men's   and  Broadway  National   Banks  of  New  York 
city,  and  these  were  sold  in  bulk,  unsigned,  and  car 
ried  to  Germany,  by  J.  E.  Conkling  and  John  Baker, 
and  by  them  passed  off   upon  the  German    bankers 
and  people.     None  of  these  notes  were  circulated  in 
the  United  States  at  the  time,  and  it  was  not  until  a 
large  sum  of  them  were  brought  back  to  New  York 
all  at  once,  by  emigrants  on  the  German    steamer 
Herder,  which  arrived  on  the  22nd  day  of  May,  1878, 
that  their  existence  was  discovered.     Subsequently, 
many  were  circulated  in  this   country  and  some  of 
them  are  still  afloat. 

Encouraged  by  the  grand  success  of  their  previous 


COUNTERFEITERS.  511 

efforts  and  emboldened  by  the  immunity  they  seemed 
to  enjoy,  Cole  and  Ulrich  now  planned  a  new  and 
most  stupendous  fraud,  which,  if  successful,  would 
forever  eclipse  all  others  of  the  kind  that  had  been 
done  in  the  past,  and  raise  at  one  swoop  the  bold 
and  daring  operators  to  luxurious  independence  for 
life. 

Up  to  this  time,  the  new  issue  of  the  Treasury 
notes  had  not  been  counterfeited  at  all,  and  it  was 
supposed  by  those  in  authority  that  it  was  impossible 
to  imitate  them  on  account  of  the  intricacy  of  the 
geometric  scroll-work  upon  them.  Charles  Ulrich, 
however,  knew  much  better  than  this,  and  with  Cole 
as  his  manager,  had  agreed  to  produce  a  counterfeit 
plate  of  the  one  hundred-dollar  new  issue,  from  which 
a  million  dollars  were  to  be  struck  as  fast  as  possible, 
and  the  whole  amount  put  into  circulation  in  Amer 
ica  and  in  Europe. 

In  order  to  obscure  himself  more  thoroughly  from 
the  detectives  who  had  already  become  suspicious  of 
this  combination,  Ulrich  removed  to  Scotch  Plains, 
near  Plainfield,  in  New  Jersey.  Here  he  assumed  the 
name  of  James  Winell,  and  with  a  woman,  presumed 
to  be  his  wife,  represented  himself  as  a  gentleman  of 
leisure. 

Ott,  by  this  time,  had  separated  from  his  former 
companions,  and  having  sold  out  his  presses  and 


512  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

material,  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  opened  a 
liquor  saloon.  For  his  share  in  the  work  of  counter 
feiting,  he  had  received  some  $8,000,  besides  an  ex 
cellent  living  for  his  family  for  the  last  two  years. 
He  was,  however,  not  qualified  for  business,  and  to 
gether  with  his  bad  management  he  became  excess 
ively  intemperate,  and  as  a  consequence,  in  a  very 
short  time  he  had  dissipated  all  his  money  and  was 
finally  sold  out  under  distress  for  rent.  During  all 
the  time  that  Ott  was  connected  with  Cole  and  Ul- 
rich,  he  had  serious  trouble  with  his  wife.  This  lady 
was  seriously  opposed  to  her  husband's  business  of 
counterfeiting,  and  had  repeatedly  threatened  to  in 
form  the  officers  of  the  law  of  the  whole  affair.  At 
last  the  trio  of  criminals  resolved  that  their  only 
safety  lay  in  getting  rid  of  this  fractious  woman  for  a 
time  at  least,  and  by  various  arguments  and  large 
monetary  considerations,  they  at  last  induced  her  to 
return  to  Germany  with  the  understanding  that  her 
husband  would  follow  her  in  a  short  time. 

After  his  failure  in  the  liquor  business,  Ott 
turned  his  attention  to  his  regular  business  of  lithog 
raphy,  and  being  an  excellent  workman,  soon  secured 
lucrative  employment.  Up  to  this  time  he  had  re 
mained  entirely  unknown,  and  was  not  suspected  of 
any  collusion  with  his  dishonest  partners. 


CO  UN  TERFEITERS.  5 1 3 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Cole  and  Ulrich  had  re 
solved  upon  their  stupendous  fraud  with  the  one- 
hundred-dollar  treasury  note,  and  they  sought  out 
Ott  to  again  assist  them  in  the  printing.  They  paid 
frequent  visits  to  New  York,  where  they  visited  dif 
ferent  establishments  and  made  several  suspicious 
purchases  of  steel  plates  and  engravers'  tools  of  fine 
quality.  At  this  time  the  parties  were  all  under  the 
surveillance  of  detectives,  and  it  was  not  until  now 
that  they  were  able  to  connect  Ott  with  the  gang  at 
all.  "  James  Winell  "  now  became  an  object  of  very 
especial  attention  in  his  new  residence,  and  it  was 
soon  discovered  that  his  movements  and  those  of 
Henry  C.  Cole,  who  made  frequent  visits  to  Scotch 
Plains,  were  remarkably  suspicious.  At  last  the  de 
tectives  resolved  to  make  a  raid  upon  the  premises, 
and  by  a  well-timed  movement  they  were  able  to 
capture  Mr.  Charles  Ulrich,  alias  Mr.  James  Winell, 
hard  at  work  upon  a  new  counterfeit  plate  of  the 
$100  new  issue  of  legal-tender  notes.  This  plate 
was  confiscated,  and  upon  being  exhibited  to  the 
Treasury  experts  of  the  United  States  it  was  found 
to  be  a  master-piece  of  imitative  engraving,  in  which 
the  boasted  inimitable  geometric  lathe-work  was  re 
produced  to  a  microscopic  nicety,  almost  impossible 
to  detect. 

22* 


5 14  CO  UN  TERFEITERS. 

Ulrich  to  save  himself,  made  a  full  confession,  in 
which  he  implicated  his  partner  and  manager,  Henry 
C.  Cole.  Ulrich  was  arrested  on  the  3Oth  day  of 
November,  1878,  and  was  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
premises  he  occupied,  in  the  company  of  one  of  the 
detectives,  in  order  to  effect  the  capture  of  Cole  at  a 
time  when  he  would  furnish  convincing  proofs  of  his 
own  guilt.  Affairs  remained  in  this  condition  for 
over  six  weeks,  and  during  that  period  Cole  visited 
the  house  several  times,  entirely  unsuspicious  and 
undisturbed,  and  it  was  not  until  the  i;th  day  of 
January,  1879,  -nat  matters  shaped  themselves  so  as 
to  perfectly  suit  the  full  purposes  of  the  patiently 
waiting  officers. 

On  that  day,  Cole,  who  had  purchased  all  the 
materials  for  plate  printing  at  various  establish 
ments  in  Philadelphia,  slyly  left  that  city  for  Scotch 
Plains.  A  telegram  from  a  watchful  officer  flashed 
ahead  of  him  the  news  of  his  departure,  and  his  ar 
rival  was  eagerly  awaited  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Winell.  Meanwhile  Cole,  in  blissful  ignorance  of 
the  fate  in  store  for  him,  sped  on  his  way,  and  was 
soon  in  the  company  of  his  able  engraver  and  part 
ner,  who  was  now  also  his  betrayer.  All  unconscious 
of  the  hidden  eyes  and  ears  which  were  drinking  in 
every  move  and  sound,  Cole  eagerly  discussed  the 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  5 1 5 

plans  of  the  future  with  Ulrich,  and  chuckled  with 
satisfaction  over  the  excellence  of  the  workmanship 
of  the  unfinished  plate. 

He  brought  the  materials  purchased  in  Philadel 
phia  to  be  used  by  Ulrich  in  printing  the  notes,  and 
spent  an  hour  in  pleasant  conversation  upon  their 
wonderful  and  grandly  promising  scheme.  He 
finally  rose  to  depart,  and,  as  had  been  his  custom  on 
previous  occasions,  he  handed  fifty  dollars  to  his  part 
ner  as  an  earnest  of  his  good  will  and  kindly  inten 
tions.  While  Ulrich  was  counting  the  money  thus 
given  to  him,  the  detectives  suddenly  stepped  out  in 
front  of  Cole,  and  he  found  himself  in  irons  before 
he  could  realize  what  had  occurred.  By  these  means 
a  clear  case  was  established  against  both  parties,  and 
this  most  dangerous  criminal  combination  of  the  age 
was  completely  broken  up,  their  entire  outfit  cap 
tured,  and,  by  one  grand  move,  justice  was  triumph 
ant  over  crime. 

Ott  was  soon  after  arrested,  and  Ulrich  appeared 
as  a  witness  against  his  two  partners  in  crime.  They 
were  both  convicted,  and  on  February  11,  1879,  Cole 
was  sentenced  to  an  imprisonment  of  twelve  years, 
while  on  the  nth  of  March  succeeding  Ott  received 
a  sentence  of  ten  years.  Charles  Ulrich,  for  his 
share  in  the  capture  of  his  companion,  his  testimony 


5 1 6  CO  UNTERFE1 TERS. 

against  them  at  the  trial,  and  his  valuable  assistance 
in  unearthing  the  plates  and  materials  of  the  coun 
terfeiters,  was  released  upon  his  own  recognizance, 
with  the  injunction  from  the  court  that  any  further 
attempt  on  his  part  to  again  engage  in  his  illegal 
calling  would  be  swiftly  followed  by  severe  and  last 
ing  punishment. 

Thus  one  of  the  most  successful  criminal  combi 
nations  that  ever  existed  was  at  last  broken  up,  the 
principals  duly  punished,  and  the  outraged  law  fully 
sustained. 


A  PRINCE  AMONG  COUNTERFEITERS.     A  THRILL 
ING  EXISTENCE. 

As  a  sample  of  the  remarkable  ingenuity  which 
men  devoted  to  criminal  purposes,  may  be  mentioned 
,  a  wonderful  production  of  a  twenty-dollar  counterfeit 
of  the  new  greenback  issue,  which  was  detected  a 
short  time  ago,  at  the  U.  S.  Sub-Treasury  at  New 
Orleans.  This  phenomenal  piece  of  imitation  was 
entirely  executed  with  pen  and  ink.  Figures,  cor 
ners,  vignettes,  seal,  fine  scroll-work,  and  even  the 
fibers  of  the  paper,  were  carefully  reproduced  by  no 
other  means  than  an  ordinary  steel  pen  and  inks  of  the 


COUNTERFEITERS.  517 

various  colors  required  for  the  work.  The  signatures 
of  Register  Allison  and  U.  S.  Treasurer  JohnC.  New 
were  also  excellently  counterfeited.  This  note  is 
calculated  to  deceive  almost  any  person  who  is  not 
thoroughly  able  to  judge,  and  who  is  accustomed  to 
handling  such  bills.  Two  U.  S.  bonds  have  also 
been  discovered,  both  of  which  have  been  produced 
by  the  same  process.  Of  course  these  specimens  are 
few  and  scarce,  as  the  amount  of  skilled  and  pains 
taking  labor  involved  prevent  their  being  manufac 
tured  for  very  extensive  circulation.  Any  man  could, 
at  any  honest,  menial  labor,  earn  more  money  in  the 
time  that  would  be  consumed  in  perfecting  one  of 
these  imitations,  and  it  seems  a  lamentable  waste  of 
artistic  talent  to  devote  them  to  such  unproductive 
employment. 

In    the  United  States  the  crime  of  making  and 

o 

passing  counterfeit  money  has  been  stimulated  by 
peculiar  and  national  conditions,  tolerated  by  a  lax 
public  sentiment,  and  even  facilitated  by  the  institu 
tions  of  a  speculative  and  a  defective  and  corrupt 
financial  system.  A  new  and  free  country,  sparsely 
settled,  filled  with  the  spirit  of  exciting  enterprises, 
among  a  reckless  and  extremely  inventive  population, 
intensely  inspired  by  the  aspiration  for  great  and 
sudden  wealth,  presented  the  most  favorable  circum 
stances  and  opportunities  for  speculative  financier- 


5i8  COUNTERFEITERS. 

ing,  which,  through  public  carelessness,  and  an 
apparent  ingredient  of  dishonesty,  not  only  degraded 
the  popular  conscience,  but,  by  debauching  the  cur 
rency,  gave  rise  to  abuses,  of  which  counterfeiting 
was  not  altogether  the  worst. 

A  community  which  could  endure  and  endorse  the 
old-style  currency  of  thh  country,  and  allow  itself  to 
be  swindled  year  after  year,  by  shyster  banking,  for 
decades,  may  be  3?.id  to  have  offered  a  premium  for 
imposture  and  paved  the  way  for  crime.  When  com 
pared  with  the  genuine  issues  of  fraudulent  banks  of 
that  time,  the  handsome  counterfeits  of  the  currency 
put  forth  by  the  old-time  "  Coney  men,"  were  not 
only  equal  in  artistic  appearance,  but  in  point  of  fact 
based  upon  an  almost  equivalent  in  value.  It  was  a 
popular  remark  among  men  of  business  at  that  time, 
that  they  perferred  a  good  counterfeit  on  a  solid  bank 
to  any  genuine  bill  upon  the  "shyster"  institutions. 
All  this,  of  course,  favored  the  counterfeiter  to  the 
greatest  possible  extent,  and  gave  him  reason  to  be 
lieve,  that,  however  dangerous  his  course  of  action, 
he  could  be  but  little  worse  than  some  of  his  neigh 
bors,  who  as  pretentious  "  bankers,"  claimed  respect 
able  positions  in  society.  During  the  war,  circum 
stances  which  I  have  already  noted  again  encouraged 
the  production  of  counterfeit  money,  and  the  skill  and 
activity  of  such  men  as  Joshua  Miner,  Thomas  Bal- 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  5 1 9 

lard,  Henry  C.  Cole,  Charles  Ulrich,  Miles  Ogle, 
Ben  Boyd,  Peter  McCartney,  and  others,  have  been 
caused  and  fostered  by  the  demoralizations  due  to 
long-continued  civil  strifle. 

The  suppression  of  the  great  Southern  Rebellion 
not  only  decided  the  question  of  slavery  and  national 
ity,  but  gave  us  incidentally  a  national  currency  and 
first-class  national  credit,  and  this,  leading  to  the  is- 
surance  of  national  bonds  and  current  money,  again 
offered  a  wide  and  profitable  field  to  the  forger  and 
the  counterfeiter.  In  this  connection  my  work  of 
revelation  would  be  entirely  incomplete  without  an 
account  of  John  Peter  McCartney,  the  man  in  every 
sense  the  master  of  the  art  and  for  a  long  time  the 
veritable  "  King  of  the  Koniackers."  This  bad  pre 
eminence  may  be  claimed  for  others,  but  for  none  can 
the  claim  so  successfully  be  made  as  for  this  man; 
who,  in  conjunction  with  his  imitative  abilities,  was 
deservedly  known  as  the  great  American  briber, 
magician  of  arts  and  master  of  arts. 

John  Peter  McCartney,  unlike  the  large  majority 
of  his  associates  in  the  profession  of  counterfeiting, 
was  possessed  of  little  or  no  education,  and  his  arti 
ficial  abilities  were  meager  in  the  extreme.  He  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  when  a  boy  was  en 
gaged  by  a  farmer  at  Mattoon,  in  that  state.  The 
conditions  of  a  new  country,  and  his  own  narrow  cir- 


520  CO  UN  TERFEITERS. 

cumstances  deprived  him  of  the  benefits  of  an  educa 
tion,  even  such  as  the  common  schools  give  the  youth 
of  older  communities.  Through  able  to  read  and 
write,  his  proficiency  in  those  arts  was  nothing  more 
than  rudimental,  his  written  letters  were  rough,  un 
couth-looking  documents  and  his  spelling  a  perfect 
wonder  of  crooked  orthography.  If  the  studious 
habits  of  Thomas  Ballard  were  the  preludes  of  a 
career  of  crime,  that  fact  can  offer  no  disparagement 
of  popular  education,  for  the  unlettered  ignorance  of 
McCartney  was  no  security  against  a  precisely  simi 
lar  course  of  life.  The  natural  talents  and  abilities 
of  young  McCartney  were,  however,  in  every  way 
excellent,  and  at  all  times  he  manifested  a  quickness 
and  versatility  of  action  and  acquirement  so  signifi 
cant  of  the  quick-witted  Irish  race  from  which  he  had 
his  origin. 

While  engaged  at  Mattoon,  McCartney  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  family  by  the  name  of  Johnson, 
'some  of  whom  were  printers  and  engravers,  and, 
becoming  interested  in  that  profession,  he  rapidly 
learned  much  of  the  art  of  engraving  from  them. 
One  of  the  female  members  of  this  family  was  mar 
ried  to  the  famous  Coney  man  Miles  Ogle,  and  the 
entire  family  had  at  various  times  been  engaged  in 
counterfeiting.  Indeed,  the  grandfather,  the  father, 
and  the  brother  of  the  man  who  instructed 


CO  UNTERFE1 TERS.  5  2 1 

McCartney  in  his  art,  had  all  been  convicted  of  that 
crime  in  times  past 

When  young  McCartney  had  arrived  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years,  he  became  desirous  of  visiting  his 
relatives  in  the  northern  part  of  Illinois,  and  he 
obtained  the  consent  of  his  employer  for  this  purpose. 
The  honest  old  farmer  not  only  approved  of  the 
intended  journey,  but  in  liis  good  will  and  friendship 
for  the  boy,  he  furnished  McCartney  with  a  team 
and  a  small  supply  of  goods,  which  he  might  sell  and 
barter  along  the  route,  and  account  for  his  proceeds 
on  his  return,  when  he  was  to  receive  half  of  the 
profits.  This  venture  proved  successful  and  the 
result  was  satisfactory  to  both  parties  ;  McCartney 
kept  perfect  faith  with  the  man  who  had  trusted  him, 
and  rendered  a  full  account  of  his  trading  operations. 

According  to  McCartney's  own  statement,  it  was 
while  on  the  above  mentioned  trip  that  he  first  con 
ceived  the  idea  of  making  and  passing  fraudulent, 
bogus  and  counterfeit  money.  At  that  time  the 
whole  West  was  flooded  with  paper  money  ;  broken 
banks  were  numerous,  and  small  bills  were  abundant. 
One  day,  while  alone  on  the  prairie  looking  over  his 
large  stock  of  one-dollar  bills,  the  thought  occurred 
to  him — "  Why  should  anybody  make  one-dollar 
bills,  when  it  was  just  as  easy  to  make  fives  or  tens  ?" 
Thinking  how  easy  it  would  have  been  to  make  more 


522  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

money  by  simply  changing  the  figures,  the  tempta 
tion  came  upon  him  to  try  the  experiment  himself, 
and  by  changing  the  figures  of  his  own  money  to 
thus  materially  increase  his  own  property.  At  this 
time  the  question  of  right  or  wrong  did  not  occur  to 
him,  although  he  had  frequent  causes  to  remember  it 
afterwards.  Looking  upon  the  paper  as  money  in 
itself,  his  simple  line  of  reasoning  was  that  it  would 
be  a  very  good  thing  to  make  more  of  it  by  increas 
ing  the  denominations  of  the  bills.  He  accordingly 
put  these  criminal  theories  into  practice,  and  care 
fully  scraped  off  the  "ones"  and  pasted  "fives"  and 
"  tens"  over  them.  These  "  fives"  and  "  tens"  were 
readily  obtained  from  the  bills  of  broken  banks,  of 
which  he  had  a  number,  and  he  thus  found  his 
materials  ready  to  his  hand.  A  few  trials  satisfied 
him  that  this  work  could  be  done  successfully,  and 
from  that  time  his  career  as  a  counterfeiter  was 
begun. 

The  easy  road  to  wealth  thus  opened  to  his 
vision  was  too  attractive  to  allow  him  to  willingly 
settle  down  to  common  and  poorly  paid  labor  again ; 
and  so,  after  settling  with  his  employer  on  his  return, 
he  started  out  on  his  own  account.  After  visiting 
some  friends  about  Covington,  he  made  his  way  to 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  where  he  first  attempted  to  prac 
tice  his  new  vocation.  Sauntering  about  the  town, 


COUNTERFEITERS.  523 

he  entered  a  grocery  store,  made  some  purchases 
and  tendered  in  payment  one  of  his  raised  notes. 
On  taking  it  up  the  grocer  observed — "  I  don't 
know  about  that,"  and  the  young  man's  heart  stood 
still,  as  he  feared  that  detection  had  overtaken  him 
at  the  outset.  But  it  proved  to  be  only  a  question 
of  the  grocer's  ability  to  make  the  change  for  so  large 
a  note,  for  the  money  drawer  was  opened,  a  favorable 
answer  given,  and  the  change  counted  out  to  him 
without  a  word. 

It  is  officially  stated,  that  of  all  the  adult  crim 
inals  found  in  London,  England,  not  two  in  a 
hundred  have  entered  upon  their  course  of  crime, 
who  have  led  an  honest  life  up  to  the  age  of  twenty 
years.  In  fact,  it  has  been  shown  that  nearly  all 
grown-up  criminals  began  their  career  of  evil-doing 
at  from  ten  to  sixteen  years  of  age.  To  this  general 
rule,  it  will  be  seen  McCartney  was  no  exception,  and 
further,  that  when  once  started  on  his  crooked  road, 
he  made  counterfeiting  his  business,  following  it  with 
diligence,  pertinacity  and  success. 

In  order  to  perfect  himself  in  engraving,  he  early 
made  the  acquaintance  of  that  famous  plate  cutter, 
Ben  Boyd,  and  McCartney  improved  exceedingly 
under  the  instruction  of  Boyd,  in  the  skill  in  engrav 
ing  which  he  had  but  vaguely  acquired  under  the 
Johnsons.  McCartney  served  no  regular  apprentice- 


5  24  CO  UNTERFE1 TERS. 

ship  to  the  trade  of  an  engraver,  but  having  observed 
the  operations  of  the  Johnsons  and  Boyd,  he  set  him 
self  to  work,  and  although  he  had  at  the  time  never 
been  inside  of  the  office  of  a  regular  engraver,  or 
had  proper  instruction  in  the  art,  he  executed  a  plate 
which  sold  readily  at  a  good  price. 

Before  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  rebel 
lion,  McCartney  was  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  and  circulation  of  false  or  bogus  coins, 
his  first  acquaintance  with  that  branch  of  crime  hav 
ing  been  made  at  Cincinnati,  where  the  work  was 
carried  on  at  a  factory  out  in  Walnut  Hills,  the 
principal  of  the  concern  being  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Cincinnati,  a  church  member  and  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  school  board,  named  Thomas  Taylor. 

In  1852,  McCartney  was  a  resident  of  Indian 
apolis,  and  was  married  to  a  young  girl  named  Martha 
Ackerman,  who  was  the  daughter  of  an  old  German 
counterfeiter,  and  who,  when  but  a  girl  of  eleven, 
being  very  bright  and  skillful,  had  been  engaged  in 
printing  counterfeits  in  her  father's  house,  under  his 
paternal  directions.  McCartney  made  this  city  his 
principal  headquarters  for  several  years,  and  here 
he  acquired  a  large  amount  of  real  estate.  His 
ostensible  business  was  that  of  a  dealer  in  horses, 
but  in  whatever  vocation  he  labored,  he  made  all  else 
subservient  to  his  grand  purpose  of  passing  counter- 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  5  2  5 

feit  money.  Here  he  was  known  as  Joseph  Woods, 
and  he  lived  in  the  style  of  a  fortunate  trader  and 
speculator. 

He  did  not,  however,  achieve  all  this  without 
trouble,  nor  without  some  notoriety.  He  had  been 
in  tight  places  more  than  once,  but  had  always  man 
aged  to  escape  by  paving  the  way  to  freedom  with 
bribes,  or  by  taking  the  most  desperate  chances  of 
physical  danger,  when  such  a  course  was  rendered 
necessary. 

In  1862,  he  was  arrested  at  a  military  camp  in 
West  Virginia,  for  passing  counterfeit  money,  and 
started  under  a  guard  of  soldiers  over  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad  for  Washington,  where  he  was  to 
be  confined  in  the  Old  Capital  Prison,  of  which  I  was 
then  in  charge,  in  my  official  capacity  as  Chief  of  the 
Secret  Service  of  the  United  States.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  McCartney  literally  jumped  into  public 
notice.  He  had  been  arrested  in  a  manner  that  left 
no  doubt  of  his  guilt,  and  he  moreover  realized  the 
difference  between  military  usage  and  that  of  the 
civil  authorities,  and  as  a  consequence,  the  prospect 
before  him  seemed  to  be  the  most  discouraging  of 
any  in  his  experience.  The  soldiers  who  guarded 
him  were  exceedingly  watchful,  and  they  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  doubly  iron  their  prisoner.  Both 
his  arms  and  legs  were  shackled,  but  the  stout-hearted 


526  CO  UNTERfEITERS. 

counterfeiter  made  the  best  of  the  situation,  kept 
perfectly  quiet  and  silently  calculated  the  chances  of 
escape.  "  I  didn't  want  to  go  to  Washington,"  he 
said  afterwards.  "  Old  Pinkerton  had  charge  of  the 
prison,  and  I  didn't  like  the  look  of  that  arrangement. 
I  could  manage  the  boys  out  West.  I  had  managed 
them  frequently,  but  in  Washington,  I  knew  it  would 
be  different.  So  I  made  up  my  mind  I  had  rayther 
not  go  to  Washington,  and  I  didn't." 

The  train  was  a  fast  one,  and  when  it  was  under 
full  headway,  the  guards,  trusting  to  the  manacles 
upon  the  prisoner,  and  thinking  no  sane  man  would 
attempt  to  jump  off  at  such  flying  speed,  even  if  un 
fettered,  relaxed  their  vigilance.  McCartney  did  not 
fail  to  notice  this,  but  it  did  not  imbue  him  with  very 
sanguine  hopes.  He  had,  however,  come  to  consider 
his  case  as  one  of  life  or  death  ;  he  had  determined 
not  to  go  to  Washington  alive,  and  yet,  when  he  felt 
his  irons,  and  noted  the  speed  at  which  the  train  was 
going,  it  seemed  as  though  an  attempt  at  escape  was 
almost  equivalent  to  that  of  suicide.  He  was  a  des 
perate  man,  however,  and  having  decided  upon  his 
mode  of  action,  he  seized  a  favorable  moment,  and 
quietly  stealing  to  the  rear  of  the  car,  he  sprang  out 
and  was  gone. 

The  train  swept  on,  and  as  there  was  a  slight 
curve  in  the  road  just  beyond,  the  cars  were  out  of 


COUNTERFEITERS.  527 

sight  of  the  spot  in  a  moment.  The  prisoner  was 
quickly  missed,  the  alarm  cord  was  pulled,  and  the 
train  was  stopped  as  speedily  as  possible.  Filled 
with  rage  and  excitement,  the  soldiers  rushed  back 
in  search  of  the  man  who  had  so  daringly  eluded 
them.  The  train  had  been  running  at  the  rate  of 
thirty-five  miles  an  hour,  and  the  officers  fully  ex 
pected  to  find  the  reckless  fugitive  dead  beside  the 
track,  or  thoroughly  mangled,  even  if  alive.  Their 
search,  however,  was  unavailing,  the  bold  counter 
feiter  could  not  be  found  in  any  condition,  and  that 
party  never  saw  the  face  of  McCartney  again. 

Fettered  as  he  was  when  he  made  this  reckless 
leap  for  liberty,  McCartney  sustained  an  ugly  fall, 
but  fortunately  for  himself,  he  alighted  upon  a  bed 
of  loose  gravel,  beside  the  roadway.  He  did  not  es 
cape  serious  injury,  however,  for  he  came  to  earth  in 
such  a  forcible  and  awkward  manner  that  two  of  his 
ribs  were  broken,  and  he  was  almost  stunned  by  the 
tremendous  shock. 

4<  I  was  hurt,  of  course,"  said  McCartney,  as  he 
afterward  detailed  his  escape  ;  "  but  I  at  once  crawled 
off  the  track,  and  hid  among  the  weeds  until  I  got 
my  breath.  Then  I  made  my  way  slowly  into  the 
woods  as  best  I  could,  where  I  hid  again,  and  kept 
quiet  until  all  was  still,  and  the  train  had  gone  on 
again.  After  this,  I  painfully  struggled  on  for  hours, 


528  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

until  comparatively  safe,  and  then  I  secreted  myself 
once  more.  With  a  stone  I  finally  broke  the  clumsy 
and  not  very  strongly  made  irons  from  my  limbs.  I 
suffered  very  much  from  hunger  and  from  the  bruises 
I  had  got ;  but  daylight  came  at  last,  and  after  a 
journey  of  two  long,  painful  days  I  reached  friends 
where  I  rested  in  safety." 

This  terrible  shaking  up,  together  with  the  excite 
ment  caused  in  detective  circles  by  his  miraculous  es 
cape,  compelled  McCartney  to  seek  seclusion  for 
some  time.  He  had  brought  nothing  home  but 
broken  bones  from  his  West  Virginia  campaign,  and 
his  bad  luck  turned  his  mind  to  acts  of  peace  and 
deeds  of  love.  He  became  an  operating  dentist  with 
a  prominent  gentleman  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  and 
devoted  himself  to  his  congenial  and  accomplished 
wife. 

This  young  woman  was  very  handsome  and  much 
devoted  to  her  husband,  and  having  been  born  and 
bred  in  the  midst  of  counterfeiters,  she  had  become 
a  critic  and  an  expert  in  relation  to  all  kinds  of 
crooked  operations.  With  such  a  helpmate,  it  may 
be  imagined  that  the  cares  of  regular  vocation  soon 
grew  tiresome,  and  he  shortly  afterward  gave  diligent 
attention  to  what  he  had  come  to  consider  as  his 
regular  business.  He  managed  his  affairs  as  adroitly 
as  usual,  but  he  could  not  escape,  what  he  regarded  as 


COUNTERFEITERS.  529 

the  annoying  and  persecuting  attentions  of  the  offi 
cers  of  the  law. 

In  1864  he  located  at  Nauvoo,  111.,  and  while  there 
he  engraved  the  plates  from  which  he  printed  the 
successful  counterfeits  of  the  ten-dollar  U.  S.  Trea 
sury  note,  of  the  Greenback  variety,  of  the  issue  of 
March  10,  1862.  He  had  laid  his  plans  carefully,  and 
had  made  extensive  arrangements  for  circulating  large 
quantities  of  these  notes,  in  all  of  which  he  was 
remarkably  successful,  more  than  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  them  having  been  disposed  of. 
These  plates  passed  into  several  hands,  and  were 
"largely  used,  until  they  were  finally  surrendered  by 
Mrs.  Missouri  Rittenhouse  of  Osgood,  Indiana,  in 
November,  1868,  when  her  husband,  Jefferson  Ritten 
house,  and  Lyle  Levi  were  arrested  with  a  number  of 
other  counterfeiters  at  that  place. 

During  the  year  1866,  McCartney  was  arrested 
in  St.  Louis,  where  he  had  been  industrious  and 
successful,  and  where  he  had  in  his  possession 
over  eight  thousand  dollars  in  good  money.  But 
he  managed  to  escape,  and,  to  use  his  own  words,  he 
found  it  "as  easy  as  falling  off  a  log."  He  openly 
declared  that  he  found  no  difficulty  in  buying  his 
way  out  of  danger.  "  I  was  flush,"  he  remarked, 
"  they  had  made  a  pretty  sure  thing  on  me,  and  I  was 
well  known,  but  I  managed  to  leave  the  jail,  the  city, 
23 


530  COUNTERFEITERS. 

and  over  eight  thousand  dollars  behind  me,  there  in 
one  night.  I  haven't  been  there  since,"  he  remarked, 
with  a  sly  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  "  to  make  any  inquiries 
as  to  what  they  thought  of  my  taking  '  French  leave ' 
of  the  hospitality  of  the  municipal  officials." 

During  the  years  1866,  1867,  and  1868  McCart 
ney  conceived  and  carried  out  a  new  and  bold  scheme. 
He  assumed  the  name  of  Professor  Joseph  Woods, 
and,  traveling  through  all  the  principal  cities  of  the 
West,  he  delivered  his  lectures  on  "  Counterfeit 
money  and  how  to  detect  it."  At  this  branch  of 
education,  Professor  Woods  thrived  amazingly.  To 
the  detectives  who  knew  him  he  professed  a  great 
deal  of  penitence  for  his  past  career,  and  solemnly 
stated  that  he  had  abandoned  counterfeiting  forever. 
He  gave  wise  and  sagacious  hints  and  advice  to 
treasury  officials  and  to  bankers,  and  was  altogether 
regarded  as  quite  a  rosebud  of  moral  and  virtuous 
promise.  While  he  was  thus  appearing  before  the 
public,  Miles  Ogle  with  James  Lyons  as  his  "  boodle 
carrier  and  right  bower "  were  engaged  in  the  con 
stant  manufacture  and  sale  of  counterfeit  five-dollar  U. 
S.  treasury  notes  of  the  issue  of  March  10,  1863,  and 
of  the  twenty-dollar  note  of  March  10,  1862,  both  of 
which  plates  had  been  just  finished  by  the  deft  hands 
of  Professor  Joseph  Woods,  in  his  true  character  of 
John  Peter  McCartney. 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  531 

An  ordinarily  skillful  engraver  can,  it  is  stated, 
cut  a  counterfeit  of  the  greenback  plate  in  from  six 
to  twelve  months.  Incredible  stories  have  been  told 
of  the  rapidity  with  which  McCartney  engraved  the 
five-dollar  plate  above  described,  the  time  of  his 
entire  work  upon  it  having  been  positively  stated  to 
be  less  than  two  weeks.  He  was  a  fast  man  in  more 
respects  than  one,  but  such  a  performance  in  the 
time  given,  would  certainly  have  been  little  less  than 
a  miracle.  The  "fives"  from  the  above  plate,  though 
handsome  when  well  printed,  bear  unmistakable 
evidences  of  haste  in  the  engraving,  but  the  ''twen 
ties"  were  excellent  ;  and,  although  McCartney 
improved  this  plate,  retouching  and  altering  it  from 
time  to  time  to  the  end  of  his  career,  from  the  very 
first  it  produced  the  most  dangerous  imitations  of 
the  genuine,  and  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the 
"  Coney"  business  as  a  cutter  or  engraver.  It  is 
suggestive  of  the  character  and  value  of  the  public 
teachings  of  "  Professor  Joseph  Woods,"  that  these 
counterfeits  along  with  others  were  regularly  passed 
as  change  from  the  ticket  offices  of  the  various  halls 
and  lecture  rooms,  where  that  expert  and  public 
benefactor  so  frequently  and  powerfully  held  forth. 

During  the  summer  of  1866,  McCartney  was 
arrested  in  Illinois,  and  taken  to  the  County  Jail,  at 
Springfield,  for  confinement.  On  his  person,  among 


532  COUNTERFEITERS. 

other  things,  was  found  two  thousand  dollars  in  good 
money,  which  was  deposited  by  the  officers  having 
him  in  charge  in  a  bank  at  Springfield,  for  safe  keep 
ing.  On  the  nth  of  October,  McCartney  having 
been  in  jail  but  a  short  time,  his  wife,  who  arrived  in 
town  some  time  before,  received  this  money.  One 
week  after  this,  when  the  officers  of  the  jail  made 
their  earliest  morning  rounds,  they  found  the  doors 
of  McCartney's  cell  and  that  of  a  companion  open.  A 
further  examination  developed  the  fact  that  the  doors 
of  the  corridor  and  that  of  the  outside  wall  of  the 
jail  were  also  open,  and  that  these  two  men  were  no 
where  to  be  found.  Mrs.  McCartney,  strange  to  relate, 
had  also  disappeared  with  her  husband.  Considering 
the  notorious  character  of  the  escaping  prisoner,  it 
was  most  positively  assumed  that  some  one  had  been 
bribed  to  allow  him  to  thus  get  away.  The  sheriff 
was  indicted  for  this  offense,  but  no  proof  being  pro 
duced,  he  was  acquitted. 

This  daring  counterfeiter  was  now  but  a  little 
over  forty  years  of  age,  and  in  the  perfection  of  his 
power  and  faculties.  He  was  of  large  stature, 
strongly  framed  and  stout  limbed,  of  a  generally  pre 
possessing  appearance,  wearing  a  full  natural  black 
beard,  and  in  a  crowd,  wearing  a  common  dress,  he 
would  have  been  readily  taken  for  an  ordinary,  good- 
looking  farmer  or  drover.  A  closer  inspection,  how- 


COUNTERFEITERS.  533 

ever,  led  to  a  different  conclusion.  Under  his  bushy 
eye-brows  were  to  be  found  a  pair  of  cold,  piercing 
grayish-blue  eyes,  so  changeable  and  quick  that  they 
have  been  frequently  described  as  darker.  Above 
the  eyes  there  rose  a  broad  and  high  forehead,  giving 
an  indication  of  mental  capacity,  to  which  a  clear- 
cut,  regular  aquiline  nose  added  a  suggestion  of 
sharpness  and  decision.  His  face  wore  habitually  a 
keen,  watchful  expression,  as  of  a  man  continually 
upon  his  guard,  and  his  whole  appearance  indicated 
to  the  trained  observer  a  subtle,  cunning  and  power 
ful  personage.  Despite  his  regular  features,  the  face 
of  McCartney  seemed  to  be  narrow  ;  he  had  a 
cynical,  crafty  look,  calculated  to  excite  distrust,  yet, 
his  manner  was  that  of  quiet  gentlemanliness,  which 
would  divert  suspicion,  while  his  whole  form  and 
bearing  were  the  embodiment  of  activity,  resolution 
and  imperious  will. 

He  would  have  been  an  object  of  interest  to  any 
intelligent  person  under  any  circumstances.  He  had 
become  one  of  the  very  best  and  most  rapid  engrav 
ers  of  counterfeit  plates.  An  excellent  plate  printer, 
he  was  a  good  practical  manufacturing  chemist,  and 
was  capable  of  skillful  mechanical  work  in  almost  any 
thing  he  undertook.  Although  he  had  literally 
"  picked  up  "  his  art,  owing  but  little  to  text-books 
and  instruction,  McCartney  had  become  exceedingly 


534  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

skillful  ;  he  had  invented  a  machine  for  copying  the 
geometrical  scroll  work  on  the  Government  Treasury 
notes ;  he  had  mastered  the  art  of  chemically  dis 
charging  all  color  from  the  Treasury  notes  of  small 
value,  in  order  to  get  the  paper  to  print  counterfeits 
of  those  of  a  larger  denomination,  instead  of  making 
the  fiber  paper  after  the  manner  of  Thomas  Ballard. 
Thus  he  made  a  fine-art  of  counterfeiting,  and  as  one 
safeguard  after  another  was  adopted  by  the  Govern 
ment,  he  enlarged  the  scope  of  his  own  processes, 
and  was  at  all  times  able  to  meet  the  most  delicate 
tests  the  Treasury  Department  had  devised. 

As  a  counterfeiter,  McCartney  was  above  preju 
dice,  exceedingly  versatile  and  perfectly  able  to  play 
every  part  in  the  great  game.  Beginning  as  he  did 
by  what  is  called  '*  bugging,"  and  raising  small  notes, 
he  became  a  shover  and  a  false  coiner  of  gold  and  sil 
ver;  he  acquired  the  art  of  engraving,  made  his  own 
plates  and  sold  them  :  made  others  and  printed  from 
them  ;  sold  his  own  bills  at  wholesale  or  at  retail  ; 
bought  plates  and  bills  to  sell,  and  worked  in  every 
imaginable  disguise  in  putting  his  own  or  others' 
make  of  "queer"  into  circulation.  He  had  an  ex 
ceedingly  low  estimate  of  men  generally,  believing 
that  every  one  could  be  bought,  and  by  this  means  he 
always  calculated  to  escape  difficulty.  He  had  the 
faculty  to  appreciate  the  ability  of  others,  and  made 


COUNTERFEITERS.  535 

his  selections  of  special  agents  with  great  discretion. 
He  always  treated  them  liberally,  worked  through 
them  and  with  them,  standing  squarely  by  his  part 
ners  when  they  became  involved  in  trouble.  When 
arrested  himself,  he  kept  his  own  counsel,  never  be 
trayed  others,  and  exercised  the  utmost  liberality, 
cunning  and  bravery  in  his  struggles  for  freedom. 
In  this  way,  at  different  times,  he  practiced  medicine, 
extracted  teeth,  served  as  a  peddler,  as  a  drummer  or 
commercial  traveler,  delivered  public  lectures,  acted 
as  an  agent  of  the  Secret  Service  and  a  Treasury  ex 
pert,  represented  a  gentleman  of  elegant  leisure,  an 
artist,  a  cattle  or  mule  drover,  a  stableman,  or,  in 
fact,  any  character  that  might  serve  to  give  success  to 
his  undertakings  or  to  elude  the  watchfulness  of  the 
detective  authorities.  He  has  been  known,  when 
hard  pressed  by  the  officers  of  the  law,  to  locate  in 
the  City  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  to  lie  safely  con 
cealed  almost  within  the  very  shadows  of  the  Treas 
ury  buildings.  It  may  be  truthfully  said  that  no  man 
in  his  particular  line  has  passed  through  as  many 
varied  and  romantic  experiences,  or  has  successfully 
assumed  so  many  and  difficult  characters. 

After  his  escape  from  the  Springfield  County 
Jail,  McCartney  engaged  in  business  as  a  daguerreo 
type  artist,  under  the  name  of  Warren,  at  Cairo,  111. 
There  he  spent  some  time,  and  probably  gave  full 


536  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

satisfaction  to  the  blooming  beauties  of  that  low- 
lying  section  of  the  country,  for  he  remained  there 
some  time,  while  he  made  good  use  of  his  spare  mo 
ments  in  studying  chemistry,  experimenting  in  inks, 
colors,  etc.,  and  materially  improved  himself  in  the 
art  of  counterfeiting,  even  while  laboring  in  an  hon 
est  calling. 

From  Cairo,  McCartney  went  to  Rolla,  Mo., 
where,  still  adhering  to  the  name  of  Warren,  he 
changed  his  business  to  that  of  a  livery  stable,  pur 
chasing  the  entire  outfit  of  a  gentleman  already  in 
that  location.  It  must  not  be  supposed,  however, 
that  his  entire  time  was  absorbed  in  the  contempla 
tion  of  his  horses,  or  in  following  the  occupation  he 
had  chosen.  He  still  continued  his  counterfeiting 
operations,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  was 
obliged  to  liberally  remunerate  the  so-called  detec 
tives,  who  threatened  him  with  exposure  and  punish 
ment.  Soon,  however,  he  was  obliged  to  leave  this 
place  of  retreat,  and  decamping  suddenly,  he  left  his 
wife  to  settle  up  his  business,  while  he  went  flying 
over  the  country  with  the  officers  at  his  heels.  Mc 
Cartney's  tracks  were  always  diligently  followed  up 
from  time  to  time,  and  he  was  arrested  again  and 
again,  but  always  managed  to  effect  a  release.  When 
unable  to  escape  by  bribery  or  audacity,  and  being 
fairly  cornered,  he  on  several  occasions  surrendered 


COUNTERFEITERS.  53) 

counterfeit  plates  and  money,  which  he  had  or  could 
procure,  and  making  fervent  promises  of  future  good 
behavior,  he  would  get  off  in  consideration  of  his 
efforts  in.  furtherance  of  the  purposes  of  the  Govern 
ment.  But  in  all  these  trials  it  was  impossible  to 
induce  him  to  betray  his  confederates.  Some  of  them 
were  known  counterfeiters,  and  all  were  marked  men, 
but  they  were  too  vigilant  to  expose  themselves  to 
conviction,  and  McCartney  kept  their  secrets  with  a 
fidelity  worthy  of  the  noblest  brotherhood  in  some 
holy  cause. 

He  was  arrested  shortly  after  this  at  Mattoon, 
111.,  by  the  City  Marshal  of  that  place.  Among  the 
effects  taken  upon  his  person,  was  a  check  for  his 
baggage,  and  upon  presenting  this  at  the  railroad 
baggage  room,  the  officers  received  a  peculiarly  con 
structed  red  chest.  Upon  opening  this  they  discov 
ered  a  printing-press,  a  quantity  of  printing  material, 
a  roll  of  note-paper,  and  twenty-three  thousand  four 
hundred  dollars  in  counterfeits  of  the  compound  in 
terest  U.  S.  Treasury  notes  of  the  denomination  of 
fifty  dollars.  By  making  some  revelations  concern 
ing  himself,  and  surrendering  other  material  then  in 
his  possession,  he  was  enabled  to  again  secure  his 
liberty,  and  was  once  more  a  free  man. 

In  August,   1870,  McCartney  was  again  arrested, 

this  time  in   Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  company  with  one 
23* 


538  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

Charley  Johnson.  No  counterfeit  money  was  found 
on  McCartney,  but  he  had  three  thousand  five  hun 
dred  dollars  in  genuine  money  in  his  possession. 
Johnson,  however,  had  over  four  hundred  dollars  in 
counterfeits  in  twenty-dollar  and  five-dollar  green 
backs  and  in  fractional  currency  ;  together  with  a  set 
of  twenty  dollar  counterfeit  U.  S.  Treasury  note 
plates. 

The  Government  detectives,  hastened  to  Cincin 
nati  to  obtain  an  interview  with  this  "  King  of  the 
Koniackers,"  but  before  they  arrived  McCartney 
had  departed.  He  had  broken  jail  as  usual  and  left 
for  parts  unknown.  This  little  escape,  it  is  said,  cost 
the  renowned  counterfeiter  two  thousand  dollars  in 
Government  money. 

In  November  of  the  same  year,  he  was  again  arrested 
by  the  police  of  Cincinnati,  but  he  soon  escaped,  leav 
ing  behind  him  three  one-thousand-dollar  genuine 
U.  S.  bonds  and  five  hundred  dollars  in  genuine  bills, 
which  with  a  well  executed  counterfeit  plate  was 
found  on  his  person  when  arrested.  What  disposition 
was  made  of  this  money  was  never  known,  but  Mc 
Cartney  had  effectually  disposed  of  it  so  far  as  his 
own  uses  were  concerned. 

He  enjoyed  his  dearly,  bought  liberty  but  a  short 
time,  and  he  was  soon  after  located  at  a  small  town 
in  Illinois  known  as  Venice,  situated  opposite  an 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  539 

island,  in  the  Mississippi  River,  where  he  was  in  hid 
ing  with  one  Fred  Beibush,  a  warm  friend  and  active 
counterfeiter.  McCartney  who  had  left  Cincinnati 
very  quietly,  was  not  expecting  an  official  call  of  any 
sort,  and  the  officers  dropped  upon  him  so  uncere 
moniously,  that  he  was  made  a  fast  prisoner,  before 
there  was  even  time  to  think  of  making  an  effort  to 
escape. 

It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  capture  a  man  like  Mc 
Cartney,  and  a  still  more  difficult  undertaking  to  hold 
him  and  convict  him.  When  such  a  man  is  arrested, 
but  little  can  be  done  unless  the  plates,  tools  and 
facilities  of  the  counterfeiter  are  captured  along  with 
him.  If  there  is  counterfeit  money  in  existence,  it 
will  get  into  circulation  even  if  the  maker  of  it  be  in 
a  state  prison.  If  there  are  counterfeit  plates  not 
captured,  they  will  be  printed  from,  no  matter  how 
many  engravers  suffer  the  penalty  of  the  law.  Con 
sequently,  all  vigilant  officers  have  a  keen  appetite  for 
large  sums  of  counterfeit  money,  and  for  anything 
from  which  such  stuff  can  be  manufactured  or  printed. 
Astute  and  powerful  "  Coney  "  men  know  full  well  the 
advantage  of  this,  and  when  brought  fairly  to  terms, 
surrender  false  bills,  plates,  tools,  presses  and  materials 
in  consideration  of  effecting  their  release.  McCart 
ney  knew  this  also,  and  he  now  offered  a  large  amount 
of  counterfeit  plates,  dies  and^  materials,  among  which 


540  CO  UNTERFEITERS. 

were  complete  sets  of  plates  for  making  all  denomina 
tions  of  the  National  currency  from  fifty  cents  to  fifty 
dollars,  and  also  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  counterfeit 
money,  all  ready  to  be  thrown  into  circulation,  and 
afterwards  offered  an  additional  fifty,  sixty  and  even 
eighty-five  thousand  dollars  in  counterfeits  for  his 
release.  These  offers,  however,  were  all  declined,  and 
he  was  conveyed  to  Springfield,  111.,  and  committed  to 
the  very  jail  from  which  he  had  escaped  in  1866. 
This  time,  however,  he  was  left  in  charge  of  the  U.  S. 
Marshal,  who  took  the  precaution  of  providing  an 
extra  guard  of  such  strength  that  another  flight  from 
the  old  prison  seemed  to  the  official  mind  absolutely 
impossible. 

A  story  is  related  in  connection  with  this  impris 
onment  of  McCartney  which  is  worth  relating.  Mc 
Cartney  had  been  safely  placed  in  his  cell,  and  Col. 
Whitley,  of  the  Secret  Service  of  the  U.  S.,  having 
finished  his  interview  with  the  prisoner,  turned  to 
leave  the  apartment.  McCartney,  his  face  beaming 
with  good  humor,  exclaimed  : 

"  You  won't  leave  me  here,  I  suppose,  Colonel  ?" 

"Yes,  for  the  present  you  are  safe  here  now," 
was  the  answer  of  the  Colonel. 

"  Oh,  I  can  get  out  of  here  easy  enough,"  said 
McCartney  ;  "  I  have  done  so  before,  and  I  know  I 
can  do  it  again." 


COUNTERFEITERS.  541 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  said  the  Chief. 

"  What  hotel  are  you  stopping  at,  and  what  is  the 
number  of  your  room  ?" 

Col.  Whitley  informed  him. 

"  Well,"  said  McCartney,  "  I  will  call  upon  you 
there  at  ten  o'clock  this  evening." 

The  chief  smiled  at  the  jest,  and  laughingly  took 
his  leave.  He  returned  to  his  hotel,  and  engaged  in 
writing,  entirely  forgot  the  amusing  incident. 

Ten  o'clock  came,  and  the  busy  Colonel  wrote  on. 
Just  a  few  moments  later,  a  courteous  rap  was  heard 
upon  the  door. 

"  Come  in,"  called  the  chief,  when  to  his  intense 
astonishment  in  walked  John  Peter  McCartney,  with 
a  bland  smile  and  a  quiet  salutation  :  "  Good  even 
ing,  Colonel !" 

Whitley  was  completely  nonplussed,  but  he  sprang 
to  his  feet  and  drew  his  revolver. 

"  McCartney,  how  are  you  here  ?"  he  exclaimed, 
as  he  caught  him  by  the  arm. 

"  Oh,  put  up  your  shootin'-iron,  Colonel," 
replied  the  strange  visitor.  "  I  only  called  to  pay  my 
respects.  I  am  going  back,  of  course." 

The  two  men  then  left  the  hotel,  and  McCartney 
returned  to  his  cell,  in  which  he  afterward  remained 
quietly  enough. 

He  never  explained  how  he  obtained  his  liberty 


542  COUNTERFEITERS. 

so  miraculously,  but  always  spoke  of  it  as  one  of  his 
"  little  jokes,"  just  to  show  that  some  things  could  be 
done  as  well  as  others. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  that  McCartney  was  a  man 
of  nerve,  cool,  daring  and  even  desperate  courage, 
but  he  was  also  a  person  of  intelligence  and  cool 
calculation  as  well.  He  felt  perfectly  competent  to 
deal  in  one  way  or  another  with  the  local  western 
police,  but,  as  has  been  shown,  he  recklessly  risked 
life  and  limb  to  escape  from  what  he  rightly  con 
sidered  the  more  formidable  authority  of  the  Federal 
Courts  at  Washington,  in  time  of  war.  He  was  not 
averse  to  taking  risks,  but  he  was  unwilling  to  do  so 
unless  there  was  a  strong  chance  of  success. 

He  early  tried  to  make  terms  with  the  Secret  Ser 
vice,  and  he  does  not  give  a  very  favorable  account 
of  the  officers  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  about 
this  time.  To  quote  his  own  language  again,  "  I 
really  wanted  to  get  out  of  the  Coney  business,  but  I 
couldn't  see  my  way  clear  to  do  it.  Everybody  was 
down  on  me — Government  officers,  police,  lawyers  and 
all  hands  ;  I  could  have  no  peace  anywhere,  no  mat 
ter  what  I  was  about  ;  some  of  the  Government 
detectives  didn't  want  me  to  quit  the  Coney.  They 
were  on  the  make  and  had  a  soft  thing  of  it.  They 
put  up  jobs  on  me  continually,  and  cheated  me  with 
false  promises.  They  said  if  there  were  no  counter- 


CO  UN  TERFEIT&RS.  543 

feiters  there  would  be  no  work  to  detect,  and  conse 
quently,  they  couldn't  and  wouldn't  afford  to  let  me 
quit." 

McCartney  was  completely  nonplussed  by  the  re 
fusal  of  his  offers  at  compromise.  He  seemed  panic- 
stricken,  and  at  last,  believing  that  the  proper  time 
had  arrived  for  obtaining  the  most  from  his  fears,  it 
was  resolved  to  test  his  sincerity  still  further.  The 
idea  of  the  officers  was  to  strike,  through  McCartney, 
a  deadly  blow  at  the  whole  counterfeiting  business  of 
which  he  was  so  prominent  a  leader,  and  so  impor 
tant  a  part.  A  few  visits  satisfied  them  that  their 
prisoner  was  sincere  and  worthy  of  confidence,  and 
McCartney  gave  them  much  valuable  information. 
He  even  practically  illustrated  his  method  of  working, 
and  on  one  occasion  he  went  through  the  process  of 
taking  the  name  of  a  bank  out  of  a  bill,  and  filling  in 
the  name  of  another  bank,  in  the  presence  of  the  of 
ficers. 

In  order  to  further  show  his  sincerity,  McCartney, 
accompanied  by  the  officers,  journeyed  to  Decatur, 
Illinois,  where,  in  a  corn-field,  he  dug  up  and  turned 
over  to  them  several  tin  cans  containing  $60,000  in 
well-made  counterfeits,  and  a  set  of  five-dollar  coun 
terfeit  plates  on  Western  National  banks.  Soon 
after  this  they  journeyed  to  St.  Louis,  and  walking 
out  into  the  country  some  distance,  they  reached  an 


544  CO  UN  TERFEITERS. 

old  frame  house,  apparently  long  deserted.  McCart 
ney,  creeping  under  this,  brought  out  several  sets  of 
well-executed  dies  for  gold  and  silver  coins,  which 
were  hidden  there.  And  again  they  went  to  Cincin 
nati,  where  McCartney  unearthed  a  large  amount  of 
counterfeit  bills  and  several  parts  of  unfinished 
plates  for  counterfeits.  These  acts  of  restitution  se 
cured  for  him  a  release  upon  his  furnishing  security 
to  the  amount  of  $5,000,  and  the  great  counterfeiter 
was  once  more  free. 

McCartney's  chief  desire  now  was  to  avoid  pre 
senting  himself  for  trial,  and  he  sought  to  effect  some 
arrangement  by  which  his  services  to  the  Govern 
ment  would  be  accepted  by  the  authorities  as  an  ex 
piation  of  the  crimes  of  his  past.  Through  his  wife, 
therefore,  the  proposition  was  made  to  this  effect,  and 
McCartney  offered  to  meet  an  officer  of  the  Govern 
ment  in  some  retired  place,  where  he  would  place  in 
his  hands  a  large  amount  of  counterfeits  and  fin 
ished  plates.  One  stipulation,  however,  McCartney 
insisted  on,  and  that  was  that  he  should  be  exempt 
from  arrest  or  any  personal  molestation  for  the  time. 
After  considerable  diplomacy,  it  was  agreed  that  the 
meeting  should  take  place  in  an  isolated  corn-field  at 
midnight.  To  this  meeting  the  officer  was  to  come 
unarmed,  and  accompanied  only  by  Mrs.  McCartney. 
McCartney  was  to  meet  them  in  the  darkness  fully 


COUNTERFEITERS.  54$ 

armed ;  but  promised  to  do  no  injury  unless  imposed 
upon  by  some  attempt  at    treachery.     The  meeting 
took  place  according  to  the  agreement  made.      Un 
armed,  but  alert,  the  officer  accompanied  the  hand 
some  and  discreet  wife  of  the  counterfeiter  to    the 
place    appointed  for   their  nocturnal    meeting.     Mc 
Cartney  was  first  upon  the  ground,  and  as  the  officer 
approached,  he  was   met  by  two  men  with   arms  in 
their  hands,  who   escorted  him  to  where   McCartney 
was,  upon  the  further  side  of  a  fence.     The  men  with 
loaded  weapons  covering  the  detective,  stood  by  him 
during   this    interview,  and    McCartney  himself  pre 
sented  a   musket    across    the  dividing  fence  at   the 
breast  of  the  officer.     In  this   manner  they  discussed 
their  business.     McCartney  offered,  upon  the  condi 
tions  already  mentioned,  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the 
Government  a  large  number  of  very  valuable  and  de 
sirable  counterfeit  plates  of  different  denominations, 
and    many  thousands  of  dollars  of  counterfeit  bills. 
The  officer  listened  patiently  to  the  offer  thus  made, 
and  then  informed  those  around  him  that  he  was  not 
authorized  to  any  promises,  but  that  he  would  make 
his  report   fully  at  headquarters,  and  await  results. 
This  was  deemed  satisfactory,  and  the  meeting  broke 
up,  the  officer  being  escorted  back  in  safety  from  this 
somewhat  romantic  adventure. 

These  negotiations  were  a  regular  case  of  "  dia- 


546  COUNTERFEITERS. 

mond  cut  diamond,"  the  officers  were  looking  to  the 
suppression  of  counterfeiting,  and  McCartney,  as  a  mat 
ter  of  course,  to  his  own  safety.  McCartney  absolutely 
controlled,  and  could  surrender  the  immense  amount 
of  crooked  property  he  offered  for  his  ransom,  and 
the  authorities  were  extremely  anxious  to  recover  all 
that  was  possible.  Circumstances  soon  after  offered 
the  wished-for  opportunity  for  the  unconditional  ar 
rest  of  McCartney,  who  could  not  resist  the  induce 
ments  to  ply  his  vocation  ;  as  a  consequence,  instead 
of  the  general  exemption  he  had  so  arrogantly  de 
manded,  he  was  glad  to  surrender  all  of  the  counter 
feits  and  materials  of  which  he  had  confessed  the  con 
trol  of.  These  plates,  dies,  presses,  materials,  &c., 
were  many  and  valuable,  and  the  counterfeit  money 
amounted  to  over  sixty-five  thousand  dollars'  nominal 
value.  The  midnight  negotiation  resulted  in  the  sur 
render  of  the  crooked  property  proposed,  but  upon 
very  different  terms  from  that  set  forth  by  their  un- 
scurpulous  possessor. 

McCartney  now  took  refuge  in  Canada,  and  made 
Windsor  his  hiding  place.  While  under  cover  at 
this  place  he  executed  several  pieces  of  work,  which 
are  proof  of  his  dexterity  and  artistic  patience.  Pro 
curing  a  bank-note  detector,  wherein  the  vignettes, 
numbers,  and  other  portions  of  notes  were  neatly 
printed,  on  thick  paper,  for  the  instruction  of  bankers 


COUNTERFEITERS.  547 

and  others,  he  carefully  cut  them  out,  and  by  the  use 
of  a  fine  piece  of  silk,  placed  these  various  pieces  to 
gether  so  perfectly  as  to  form  the  body  of  a  whole 
well-executed  note.  Filling  in  and  connecting  these 
various  parts  and  details  through  extra  devices,  and 
deft  touches,  of  marvelous  accuracy  and  finish,  then 
by  cutting  the  paper  away  from  the  back  of  his  work 
to  half  the  thickness  of  a  bank-note,  he  joined  the 
back  and  front  together,  and  thus  produced  a  hand 
some  bill  which  might  have  deceived  many.  This  is 
stated,  simply  to  show  the  patient  and  artistic  genius 
of  the  man. 

Limited  space  prevents  me  from  minutely  tracing 
the  exciting  and  romantic  career  of  this  wonderful 
man.  His  numerous  arrests  and  miraculous  escapes 
have  already  been  partly  related,  but  his  subsequent 
experience,  was  perhaps  more  exciting  than  that 
which  had  transpired. 

His  next  arrest  took  place  in  1874,  at  St.  Louis, 
and  was  the  result  of  a  betrayal  by  a  friend.  In 
formation  was  lodged  with  the  authorities,  that  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Captain  Judd,  was  at  that  time  in  the 
city,  and  the  informer  could  secure  his  arrest  if  de 
sired.  The  plans  were  soon  agreed  upon,  and  when  the 
informer  kept  his  appointment  with  Captain  Judd  for 
the  purchase  of  some  counterfeit  bills,  the  detectives 
suddenly  appeared  and  attempted  to  arrest  him  and  a 


548  COUNTERFEITERS. 

companion,  who  was  also  a  well-known  counterfeiter. 
This  Captain  Judd  was  none  other  than  our  old 
friend  McCartney,  and  on  the  appearance  of  the  of 
ficers,  he  at  once  suspected  treachery,  and  prepared  to 
defend  himself.  A  general  fight  ensued,  in  which 
one  Bloomfield,  a  United  States  officer,  distinguished 
himself,  by  jumping  squarely  through  the  door  of  the 
room  in  which  the  encounter  took  place,  breaking 
out  two  of  the  panels  as  he  went.  The  informer, 
strange  to  say,  was  a  brave  man,  and  placing  himself 
before  the  broken  door,  completely  blocking  the  pas 
sage  out,  he  fired  repeatedly  at  Captain  Judd,  the 
balls  each  time  finding  a  lodgment  in  his  arms  and 
legs.  Captain  Judd,  or  McCartney,  fought  desperately 
for  his  liberty,  and  with  a  long  murderous  knife  en 
deavored  to  carve  his  way  to  freedom,  through  the 
body  of  the  obstinate  informer.  The  police,  however, 
were  attracted  by  the  noise  of  the  conflict,  and  soon 
made  their  appearance,  when  the  entire  party  all 
badly  wounded,  were  arrested  and  carried  off. 

McCartney's  wounds  were  dressed,  and  his  re 
covery  speedy,  and  after  remaining  in  confinement 
but  a  few  months,  he  again  managed  to  escape,  with 
a  number  of  the  most  desperate  inmates  of  the  jail. 

But  an  end  must  come  at  last,  McCartney  fled  to 
Texas,  where  he  distinguished  himself  in  various 
ways,  and  finally  made  a  tour  through  the  Eastern 


COUNTERFEITERS.  549 

and  Southern  cities  in  company  with  several  old  time 
companions.  They  visited  New  York  City,  Rich 
mond,  Washington  Philadelphia,  Parkersburg,  be 
sides  many  places  of  lesser  note,  in  all  of  which  they 
zealously,  but  discreetly  labored  to  promote  pros 
perity,  by  adding  in  their  own  way,  to  the  volume 
of  the  national  currency. 

On  the  23rd  day  of  November,  two  men  named 
Charles  Lang  and  Henry  Boland  were  arrested  in 
Richmond,  Indiana,  for  passing  counterfeit  money  in 
that  city  by  the  marshal  of  the  place.  The  United 
States  officers  were  notified,  and  upon  arriving  at 
Richmond  they  were  rejoiced  to  discover  in  the 
person  of  Charles  Lang,  no  less  an  individual  then 
their  old  enemy  Peter  McCartney.  This  discovery 
was  hailed  with  delight,  and  an  examination  of  their 
persons  revealed  the  presence  of  two  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  thirteen  dollars,  of  which  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty-three  were  genuine,  and 
the  balance,  eight  hundred  and  sixty  dollars,  were 
counterfeit.  Among  the  latter  were  several  good 
imitations  of  the  fifty-dollar  United  States  Treasury 
note  of  1869,  with  thirty-three  twenty-dollar  bills 
United  States  Treasury  notes,  while  the  remainder 
were  five-dollar  counterfeits  of  the  Traders'  Bank  of 
Chicago. 

Their  trial  took  place  at  Indianapolis,  and  on  the 


550  COUNTERFEITERS. 

29th  day  of  November  1876,  McCartney  was  sen 
tenced  to  undergo  an  imprisonment  of  fifteen  years 
at  hard  labor,  and  he  was  conveyed  at  once  to 
Michigan  city  where  he  now  is. 

When  ordinary  men  are  immured  in  prison  to 
serve  long  terms  of  years,  it  is  as  if  the  grave  had 
closed  over  them,  the  felon  is  dead  in  law,  even  his 
wife  is  released  from  her  duty  as  such,  just  as  if  he 
were  buried.  McCartney  was  not  an  ordinary  man, 
and  when  he  disappeared  suddenly,  it  was  as  if  some 
great  wreck  had  gone  down  at  sea.  The  waters  were 
tossed  and  troubled,  while  ruin  engulfed  the  smaller 
craft  around  him,  and  many  of  the  less  ambitious 
Coney  men,  who  depended  for  their  protection  and 
security  upon  this  bold  and  daring  prisoner,  were 
soon  after  detected  and  brought  to  punishment. 

But  the  reckless  spirit  could  not  be  content  within 
the  limited  walls  of  a  prison,  and  McCartney  again 
essayed  to  escape.  One  night  about  six  months  after 
he  had  passed  within  the  gloomy  portals,  the  guards, 
who  were  watchful  and  alert,  detected  him  in  the  act. 
He  had  sawed  off  three  of  the  bars  of  his  cell  door, 
and  after  the  guard  had  passed  along  his  tier  of  cells 
and  to  the  second  floor  above,  he  quietly  slipped 
through  the  opening  he  had  thus  made,  and  walked 
down  to  the  outer  door  of  the  cell  house.  While 
opening  this  door  the  guard  saw  him,  and  hastening 


CO  UNTERFEI TERS.  5  5 1 

to  him,  he  found  him  standing  between  the  wooden 
door  and  iron  grating.  When  he  was  angrily  asked 
what  he  was  doing  there  he  simply  and  quietly  replied  : 
"  I  am  going  out."  He  had  made  for  himself  a  pair 
of  pants  out  of  one  of  his  blankets,  and  had  a  knitted 
shirt  over  his  striped  prison  garment.  Finding  that 
his  efforts  were  fruitless  and  his  designs  frustrated  he 
quietly  submitted  to  be  returned  to  a  cell,  and  his 
watchers  were  ever  afterwards  more  rigid  and  severe 
than  before. 

John    Peter    McCartney    was    one   of   the   most 
daring  and  successful  counterfeiters  of  his  time.      He 

o 

had  made  as  many  as  fifty  different  counterfeit-plates 
in  his  life,  and  more  than  a  million  of  dollars  of  coun 
terfeit  money  had  passed  through  his  hands.  He 
had  defied  the  power  of  the  government  and  the  laws 
of  the  nation,  but  at  last  the  arm  of  outraged  justice 
had  been  reached  out,  and  this  genius  of  unlawful 
talents,  this  miracle  of  self-taught  skill,  this  governor 
of  evil-minded  men,  found  himself  in  the  end,  a  felon 
—an  outcast,  and  despised  of  all  honest  poeple. 
There  in  his  prison  he  still  remains,  shorn  of  his 
power  for  evil,  and  growing  rapidly  old — and  there  we 
will  leave  him. 


552  COUNTERFEITERS. 

LESSER  LIGHTS. 

It  is  impossible  in  the  limits  of  the  present  article 
to  give  full  particulars  of  the  careers  of  the  many 
notable  men  who  have  figured  so  prominently  in  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  counterfeits.  The  Secret 
Service  of  the  United  States,  which  is  now  under  the 
control  of  Chief  Joseph  J.  Brooks,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  many  facts  here  presented,  have  per 
formed  herculean  labor,  in  ferreting  out  and  bringing 
to  just  punishment,  hundreds  of  men  who  have 
devoted  their  talents  and  energies  to  the  corruption 
of  the  currency,  and  to  counterfeiting  the  various 
kinds  of  money  current  in  the  country,  The  exploits 
of  this  branch  of  the  Government  service,  would 
require  several  volumes  such  as  this,  in  which  to  fully 
depict  the  many  daring  episodes  and  courageous 
captures  which  they  have  made.  For  my  purpose, 
however,  I  have  been  compelled  to  select  some  of  the 
most  prominent  and  successful  of  this  fraternity  of 
counterfeiters,  and  by  relating  their  experiences  afford 
the  reader  some  idea  of  their  manner  of  working,  the 
extent  of  their  operations  and  of  the  vast  amount  of 
spurious  money  they  have  been  able  to  foist  upon  the 
honest  and  unsuspicious  community.  The  Govern 
ment  has  taken  every  precaution  to  preserve  the 


COUNTERFEITERS.  553 

purity  of  the  currency  which  it  issues  both  of  the 
Treasury  notes  and  those  of  the  National  Banks 
throughout  the  country,  but  in  spite  of  their  unremit 
ting  and  watchful  efforts  for  the  supression  of  coun 
terfeiting  and  the  arrest  of  the  counterfeiters,  this 
<±> 

dishonest  calling  is  still  being  pursued,  and  the  toiling 
masses  are  made  the  victims  of  these  daring  imitators. 

As  one  means  of  safety  and  precaution,  as  soon 
as  a  note  or  bill  of  a  particular  class  or  denomination 
is  found  to  have  been  counterfeited,  the  Government 
takes  immediate  steps  to  retire  from  circulation  all 
the  genuine  notes  of  that  particular  class  or  series, 
and  thus  leave  the  field  entirely  to  the  counterfeits, 
which  may  thus  be  readily  detected  and  uniformly 
refused  by  the  tradesmen  and  others  to  whom  they 
may  be  offered.  The  banks  are  thus  kept  fully  posted 
by  the  Government  of  all  the  counterfeits  in  existence 
as  soon  as  they  are  discovered,  and  the  tellers  of 
these  institutions  are  at  all  times  prepared  to  detect 
the  imitations,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  nation, 
they  stamp  the  word  "Counterfeit"  across  the  face 
of  every  spurious  note  which  comes  before  them. 
This  process  effectually  prevents  the  further  circula 
tion  of  that  particular  piece  of  deceitful  paper,  and  to 
that  extent  is  a  protection  to  the  people,  in  whose 
name  these  notes  are  issued. 

Among  the  vast  number  of  those  who   have  prac- 


554  COUNTERFEITERS. 

ticed  the  art  of  counterfeiting,  with  varying  fortunes 
and  with  distinguished  success  may  be  mentioned 
Irvine  White,  who  under  numerous  aliases  for  more 
than  fifty  years  was  identified  with  many  of  the 
boldest  and  most  unscrupulous  counterfeiters  of  the 
times  in  which  he  lived.  A  half  century  ago  White 
wras  engaged  in  engraving  plates  for  printing  coun 
terfeits  of  the  currency,  and  from  that  time  until  the 
year  1876  he  was  identified  with  the  actions  of  his 
dishonest  associates.  During  that  time,  however,  he 
had  undergone  one  or  more  terms  of  imprisonment, 
but  these  produced  no  repentant  inclinations  in  his 
mind,  and  immediately  upon  gaining  his  liberty,  he 
resumed  his  occupation  of  counterfeiting  until  in  18/6 
he  was  sentenced  to  an  imprisonment  of  ten  years  in 
Kings  County  prison,  which  he  is  still  serving.  It  is 
estimated  that  during  these  fifty  years  White  has 
prepared  the  plates  from  which  several  millions  of 
"counterfeits  were  printed  and  put  into  circulation. 

Among   other    notables    may    be    mentioned  the 
redoubtable    former   and   counterfeiter   "  Col."    T.    B. 

o  J 

Cross,  who  upon  one  occasion  while  undergoing  a 
term  of  imprisonment,  actually  forged  a  pardon  from 
the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and  would  undoubtedly 
have  obtained  his  liberty,  had  there  not  of  necessity 
been  some  defect  in  the  manner  of  its  transmission  to 
the  prison  authorities. 


COUNTERFEITERS.  555 

William  Cregar,  too,  was  a  famous  man  in  his 
time,  who  worked  with  Henry  T.  Condron  and  his 
brother  Charles.  On  one  occasion,  when  a  raid  was 
made  upon  the  premises  occupied  by  these  men,  they 
were  found  busily  engaged  at  their  respective  occupa 
tion  of  counterfeiting.  In  the  room  were  found  a 
printing  press,  upon  which  were  three  separate  piles 
of  counterfeit  money,  the  top  notes  of  which  were 
still  fresh  and  green  with  the  ink  that  had  been  used 
in  printing  them.  On  the  floor  were  several  bundles 
of  these  counterfeit  notes  wrapped  in  damp  cloths, 
and  stretched  in  wires  across  the  room,  hung  a  large 
quantity  of  five-dollar  National  Bank  notes,  in  an 
unfinished  state. 

In  the  room  there  was  a  box  with  a  stone  cover, 
under  which  was  a  lighted  gas  jet,  and  on  the  top  of 
which  lay  a  steel  plate  recently  inked  with  the  words, 
"The  Castleton" — "  Castleton,  New  York,"  engraved 
upon  it.  In  the  premises  there  were  also  found  a 
small  hand  press,  and  on  it  a  steel  plate  for  the  red 
ink  seal  of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States,  and 
engraved  on  this  same  plate  was  the  coat  of  arms  of 
the  State  of  Rhode  Island.  On  a  table  near  at  hand 
were  two  piles  of  counterfeit  National  Bank  notes  on 
the  National  Bank  of  Castleton,  New  York,  together 
with  a  large  number  of  miscellaneous  plates  for  print 
ing  the  various  portions  of  the  National  and  currency 


556  COUNTERFEITERS. 

notes.  These  plates  were  all  identified  as  the  handi 
work  of  Irvine  White,  who,  at  that  time,  must  have 
been  over  sixty  years  of  age.  The  parties  thus 
taken  were  all  sentenced  to  long  terms  of  imprison 
ment,  and  their  materials  utterly  destroyed. 


A  TRIO  OF  CRIMINAL  ARTISTS. 

I  cannot  better  close  this  article,  in  which  I  have 
attempted  to  give  some  idea  of  the  nature  and  extent 
of  the  counterfeiting  business  in  the  United  States, 
than  by  devoting  a  short  space  to  the  operations  of 
three  dangerous  and  daring  men,  who,  for  a  time, 
figured  prominently  in  the  ranks  of  the  successful 
imitators  of  the  nation's  currency.  These  men  were 
Miles  Ogle,  Ben  Boyd  and  William  Rhodes  Johnson, 
and  their  careers  were  marked  with  many  wonderful 
and  daring  experiences  which  fully  justify  relation. 

When  John  Peter  McCartney  was  captured  and 
incarcerated  at  last  within  the  walls  of  a  prison  at 
Michigan  City,  the  ablest  and  most  competent  coun 
terfeiter  then  at  liberty  was  Miles  Ogle,  whose  des 
perate  life  and  crafty  adventures,  with  those  of  his 
partners  and  relatives,  furnished  rare  and  danger 
ous  work  for  the  officers  of  the  law. 


COUNTERFEITERS.  557 

Miles  Ogle  was  of  German  parentage,  and  was 
born  in  1841.  When  but  twenty  years  of  age, 
he  was  connected  with  a  gang  of  robbers  who  infested 
the  western  country.  They  made  their  headquarters 
upon  a  flat-boat,  and  the  towns  and  cities  along  the 
Ohio  River  were  the  scenes  of  their  numerous  depre 
dations.  At  last  they  were  traced  by  the  officers,  and 
their  boat  was  boarded  near  Rockport,  Indiana.  As 
the  officers  came  on  board  the  boat,  Miles  Ogle, 
then  a  mere  stripling,  deliberately  pointed  a  gun  at 
their  leader  and  killed  him  instantly.  For  this  offense 
he  was,  strange  to  say,  sentenced  to  only  five  years' 
imprisonment,  which  he  faithfully  served. 

Upon  his  release  from  prison,  he  soon  proved 
himself  a  worthy  follower  of  the  teachings  he  had 
received.  He  almost  immediately  joined  the  "  Reno 
gang,"  a  combination  of  bandits  and  scoundrels, 
which  for  years  was  the  terror  of  all  southern 
Indiana,  and  actually  subjected  and  tyrannized  over 
whole  counties  in  the  most  lawless  and  audacious 
manner.  The  recital  of  their  daring  and  desperate 
deeds  has  already  been  given,  and  it  is  sufficient  to 
say  that  at  last  the  ring  leaders  of  this  band  were 
captured  and  punished,  the  two  Reno  brothers  being 
summarily  lynched  by  long-suffering  people,  who, 
driven  to  desperation,  finally  took  the  law  into  their 
own  hands,  and  made  short  work  of  their  just  execu- 


558  COUNTERFEITERS. 

tion.  Ogle  had  left  this  gang  before  the  final 
catastrophe  overtook  them,  and  locating  at  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  worked  in  connection  with  McCart 
ney,  where  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  the  manu 
facture  of  counterfeits  of  the  five-dollar  United 
States  Treasury  notes,  and  of  the  twenty-dollar 
greenback  note  of  1862,  the  plates  for  which  were 
furnished  by  McCartney. 

There  was  a  great  difference,  however,  between 
McCartney  and  Miles  Ogle.  The  first,  although  ex 
ceedingly  shrewd  and  quick-witted,  was  often  reckless 
to  a  remarkable  degree,  seeming  in  some  cases  to  al 
most  enjoy  being  involved  in  danger,  because  of  the 
opportunities  it  afforded  for  the  exercise  of  his  genius 
for  trickery,  bribery  and  sharp  practice  in  evading 
punishment.  Ogle,  however,  as  became  his  German 
origin,  was  more  plegmatic,  careful  and  secretive, 
and  rarely  exposed  himself  to  the  danger  of  detec 
tion. 

After  numerous  experiences,  in  which  he  distin 
guished  himself,  it  is  supposed,  in  disbursing  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  counterfeit  money, 
Ogle  was  at  length  traced  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where 
he  was  found  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law, 
William  Rhodes  Johnson,  who  had  also  been  known 
to  deal  extensively  in  the  unlawful  imitations  of  the 
Governmental  issues. 


CO  UNTERFE1TERS.  559 

The  officers  had  been  carefully  watching  these 
men  for  a  long  time,  and  at  last  their  vigilance  was 
rewarded.  On  Saturday  evening,  the  6th  day  of 
January,  1876,  Ogle  left  his  home  in  Cincinnati,  and 
and  proceeding  to  the  railroad,  set  off  at  a  rapid 
pace  toward  a  place  called  Brighton  Flats,  which 
had  long  been  suspected  as  being  a  rendezvous  for 
counterfeiters.  After  journeying  a  short  distance  he 
was  joined  by  Johnson,  who  stepped  out  from  be 
tween  two  freight  cars  that  stood  upon  the  track.  It 
now  became  evident  to  the  detectives  that  something 
important  was  about  to  occur,  and  their  hitherto 
careful  observation  was  quickened  by  absorbing  in 
terest.  Ogle,  always  exceedingly  cautious,  and  ever 
alert,  was  evidently  more  watchful  than  usual,  and 
apparently  in  a  dangerous  mood,  while  his  compan 
ion,  keen  as  a  weasel,  observed  with  sharp-eyed  at 
tention  every  sign  which  might  indicate  danger. 

After  traveling  some  distance  in  this  manner,  ; 
Ogle  and  Johnson  left  the  railroad  track,  and  turned 
toward  a  point  on  the  common,  where  stood  a  large 
elm  tree.  Daylight  wras  fast  fading  into  darkness, 
and  the  forms  of  the  two  counterfeiters  soon  became 
lost  to  distinct  view,  amid  the  rapidly  gathering  shad 
ows  of  the  uncertain  landscape.  Obscurity,  while  it 
favors  concealment,  also  lends  its  assistance  to 
skilled  observation  as  well,  and  adopting  their  own 


560  COUNTERFEITERS. 

methods  of  approach,  the  detectives  became  con 
vinced  that  the  men  before  them,  were  engaged  in 
the  important  occupation  of  "  raising  a  plant,"  a 
species  of  labor,  which  regardless  of  the  adaptiveness 
of  the  phrase,  has  naught  to  do  with  agricultural 
pursuits,  but  consisted  in  digging  out  of  the  ground 
a  deposit  of  some  peculiar  nature.  In  this  case, 
there  was  but  little  doubt  that  the  "  plant "  they 
"raised"  contained  counterfeit  money,  or  the  means 
of  making  the  same,  and  very  probably  both  of 
them  together. 

When  the  two  men  prepared  to  return,  one  of 
them  carried  a  rough-looking  and  heavy  valise,  and 
he  was  discovered  to  be  Johnson,  while  Ogle  strode 
beside  him,  with  a  look  upon  his  face  which  gave 
serious  warning  to  all  who  attempted  to  interfere 
with  them. 

Had  Miles  Ogle  been  an  ordinary  man,  he  would 
have  been  arrested  then  and  there,  for  the  officers 
were  among  the  cars  upon  the  track  when  the  coun 
terfeiters  reached  it,  but  the  man  who  had  shot  an 
officer  dead  on  sight,  when  a  mere  boy,  and  who 
kept  a  band  of  cut-throats  at  his  call,  was  not  the 
character  to  provoke  a  duel  with,  man  to  man,  partic 
ularly  in  a  locality  where  he  had  more  friends  by  far 
than  the  officers  could  hope  to  rally,  before  some  one 
lost  his  life. 


CO  UNTERFEITERS.  561 

As  manslaughter  was  not  their  mission,  it  is  no 
reflection  upon  the  courage  of  the  officers,  but  rather 
a  compliment  to  their  discretion,  that  they  allowed 
these  men  to  pass  for  the  time,  and  laid  their  plans 
to  capture  them  both  alive,  and  to  secure  their  booty 
without  butchery. 

The  first  move  of  the  detectives  was  to  soil  their 
faces  and  hands,  and  then  as  the  men  passed  them, 
to  pretend  to  be  actively  engaged  in  work  upon  the 
cars,  thus  appearing  to  be  a  most  faithful  and  indus 
trious  pair  of  brakemen. 

On  came  the  two  counterfeiters,  and  as  Ogle 
passed  close  to  the  detectives,  his  hand  was  upon  his 
hip  ready  for  action  ;  but  his  scrutiny  seemed  to  be 
satisfactory,  and  without  a  word  they  proceeded  on 
their  way.  The  two  men  went  to  the  railroad 
station,  where  they  procured  their  tickets,  and  en 
tered  an  Eastern  bound  train,  immediately  followed 
by  the  detectives  who  had  now  made  themselves  pre 
sentable  and  were  prepared  to  accompany  the  coun 
terfeiters  to  the  end  of  their  journey  if  necessary. 
Ogle  and  Johnson  occupied  different  positions  in  the 
car,  and  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  capture  them  both. 
Stepping  up  to  Ogle,  one  of  the  detectives  extended 
his  hand  as  if  to  an  old  acquaintance,  and  said,  in  a 
friendly  manner  : 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Hall?" 
24* 


562  COUNTERFEITERS. 

Ogle  extended  his  hand  to  answer  the  salutation, 
when,  quick  as  a  flash,  the  detective  grasped  the  prof 
fered  palm  with  his  right  hand,  and  the  other  hand 
with  his  left.  A  struggle  ensued,  Ogle  tried  to  reach 
his  revolver,  but  the  officer  was  muscular  and  in  the  , 
end  the  counterfeiter  found  himself  fitted  with  a  pair 
of  handcuffs,  which  prevented  further  violence  on  his 
part. 

While  this  had  been  going  on,  Johnson  had  been 
secured  by  the  second  officer,  and  an  examination  of 
the  persons  of  the  prisoners  was  then  made.  Ogle 
was  found  to  be  literally  stuffed  full  of  counterfeit 
money,  having  a  bundle  of  spurious  note  in  each 
pocket,  amounting  in  all  to  several  thousand  dollars, 
and  Johnson  attempted  to  throw  away  a  package  of 
nearly  an  equal  amount. 

On  their  arrival  at  their  destination,  which  was 
Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  the  valise  which  they  had  dug  up 
was  examined,  and  it  was  found  to  contain  sets  of 
plates  for  printing  ten-dollar  National  Bank-notes, 
on  about  forty  banks  of  Indiana.  The  original 
Richmond  counterfeit  engraved  plate,  with  the  bor 
der  and  center  back,  and  forty-three  electrotype  plates 
from  the  ten-dollar  bills.  Also  a  set  of  plates  for  the 
printing  of  counterfeit  fifty-cent  notes,  with  fifty-two 
electrotypes  of  the  same,  and  about  twenty-five  thous 
and  dollars  in  counterfeit  money. 


CO  UN  TERFEITERS.  563 

By  this  capture,  the  Government  was  placed  in 
possession  of  all  the  plates  for  printing  the  ten-dollar 
counterfeits  of  the  Treasury  and  National  Bank-notes, 
then  known  to  be  in  existence.  A  further  examina 
tion  of  the  ground  around  the  old  elm-tree  at  Brigh 
ton  Flats,  revealed  another  buried  treasure,  which 
was  found  to  be  about  $50,000  in  counterfeit  money 
of  the  same  denomination  as  those  found  on  the 
persons  of  the  arrested  counterfeiters. 

Ogle  and  Johnson  were  speedily  brought  to  trial, 
and  being  duly  convicted  were  sentenced  to  long 
terms  of  imprisonment  in  the  Western  Penitentiary 
at  Allegheny,  Penn.,  and  for  a  time  the  government 
breathed  freer  and  more  safely. 


CONCLUSION. 

OF  Ben  Boyd,  volumes  might  be  written  before 
the  story  was  duly  told,  but  for  our  purpose  a  few 
extracts  may  not  prove  uninteresting.  Ben  Boyd 
and  Nelson  Driggs  were  the  giants  of  the  western 
counterfeiters,  and  through  those  two  men  a  large 
portion  of  the  counterfeit  money  was  placed  upon 
the  market,  and  a  large  majority  of  the  dealers  in 


564  COUNTERFEITERS. 

spurious  money  were  under  contribution  to  these  men. 
Ben  Boyd,  however,  after  running  his  course  more 
or  less  successfully,  was  finally  captured.  His  trial 
took  place  in  Chicago,  111.,  and  in  February,  1875, 
he  was  sentenced  to  an  imprisonment  of  ten  years. 

The  conviction  and  imprisonment  of  Ben  Boyd, 
and  the  breaking  up  of  his  business  with  Nelson 
Driggs,  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  trade  of  a  host  of 
dealers  in  counterfeit  money  in  the  South  and  West. 
They  could  of  course  obtain  the  counterfeits,  but 
they  were  now  so  far  removed  from  the  manufac 
turers,  that  their  profits  were  too  small  for  the  risks 
they  were  obliged  to  take.  Every  means  was  used 
to  prevent  the  conviction  of  Ben  Boyd,  and  when  he 
was  at  last  imprisoned  for  ten  years,  all  sorts  of 
devices  were  employed  to  effect  his  release,  or  to 
secure  for  him  a  pardon. 

Among  these  enterprises,  was  one  which  from  its 
ghostly  character  and  the  particulars  of  its  porpose, 
occasioned  a  national  excitement  and  a  world  of 
speculative  controversy,  so  that  its  mention  here 
seems  requisite  and  proper. 

During  the  winter  of  1875-76,  there  was  organized 
at  Lincoln,  111.,  under  the  lead  of  a  St.  Louis  counter 
feiter  of  distinction  in  this  nefarious  line,  a  gang  of 
desperadoes  and  ghouls  for  the  purpose  of  stealing 
the  remains  of  President  Lincoln  from  their  resting 


COUNTERFEITERS.  565 

place,  beneath  the  monument  erected  to  his  memory, 
with  the  intention  of  concealing  them  and  holding 
them  for  ransom.  The  body  of  the  noble  President 
was  only  to  be  restored  in  consideration  of  immunity 
for  the  robbers,  the  payment  of  two  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars  in  money,  and  the  pardon  of  Ben  Boyd. 
The  elate  fixed  for  this  outrage  to  be  consummated 
was  carefully  considered  by  these  conspirators,  and 
the  fourth  of  July,  1876,  was  agreed  upon.  Fortun 
ately  for  the  nation  the  scheme  was  divulged  to  the 
Police  of  Springfield,  by  an  abandoned  woman,  who 
gained  her  intelligence  from  a  drunken  companion, 
and  it  was  in  consequence  of  this,  abandoned  for  the 
time  being. 

This  attempt  was,  however,  made  upon  the  night 
of  November  7,  1876,  but  havi'ng  obtained  informa 
tion  regarding  it  in  advance,  both  the  government 
officers  and  several  picked  men  of  my  force  were 
present  to  receive  these  sacrilegious  fiends.  Three  men 
approached  the  monument  by  filling  off  the  staple  of 
the  lock,  and  two  men  entered  for  the  purposes  of  the 
robbery.  They  had  lifted  the  lid  from  the  sarcopha 
gus,  and  were  in  the  act  of  raising  the  coffin  from  its 
resting  place,  when  the  officers  advanced  upon  them. 
They  attempted  to  escape,  but  all  were  finally  cap 
tured,  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment. 

This  closes  my  reference   to   counterfeiting   and 


566  CO  UNTERFE1 TERS. 

counterfeiters.  The  long  list  of  imitators  that  once 
seemed  to  successfully  defy  the  law,  and  to  practice 
this  criminal  calling  with  apparent  safety  has  been  sadly 
depleted,  the  giants  have  fallen  to  a  man,  and  to-day  no 
really  expert  counterfeiter  breathes  the  air  of  liberty. 
Some  of  them  are  dead,  many  of  them  are  in  prison, 
and  the  practitioners  of  this  crime  are  now  composed 
of  a  number  of  ignorant  and  unskillful  men  who  after 
a  short  questionable  success,  find  themselves  in  the 
hands  of  justice.  The  country  to-day  is  comparative 
ly  safe  from  those  marauders.  The  engraver  of  per 
fect  counterfeits  no  longer  exists  and  the  false  coiners 
are  few  and  easy  of  detection.  Absolute  safety,  how 
ever,  has  not  been  assured,  nor  will  it  be  until  human 
ity  shall  be  so  purified  and  exalted  that  dishonesty  is 
no  longer  possible,  and  law-breaking  becomes  a  thing 
of  the  past. 


THE  EXPRESS  ROBBER. 


The  Robbery  of  Express  Companies — Two  Notable  Acknowledg 
ments  of  my  Services — A  Bold  Express  Robbery — Clever 
Detective  Work. 

DURING  the  thirty  years  of  my  experience  as 
a  detective,  I  have  performed  many  services 
for  the  various  Express  Companies  throughout  the 
country.  During  the  earlier  years  of  their  existence 
robberies  were  very  numerous,  and  the  companies 
suffered  to  an  alarming  extent.  Money  packages 
of  large  amounts  were  appropriated  by  dishonest 
employees,  and  safes  with  valuable  contents  in 
transitu,  were  seized  by  daring  robbers,  who  broke 
open  the  iron  chests  and  appropriated  all  that  was  of 
value  within  them. 

In  works  previously  published  by  me,  I  have 
detailed  some  of  the  most  important  operations  of 
this  character,  giving  in  full  the  process  of  detecting 
the  robbers  and  the  recovery  of  the  major  portions 

[567] 


568  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

of  the  moneys  taken.  These  robberies  are  now  of 
rare  occurrence,  and,  in  my  opinion,  the  present 
safety  of  the  Express  companies  may  be  mainly 
attributed  to  the  vigorous  measures  which  they 
adopted  in  the  past,  to  bring  these  robbers  to  justice 
and  to  punishment. 

The  two  following  significant  acknowledgments 
will  show  what  part  I  bore  in  this  work  of  detection 
and  recovery,  which  were  elaborately  engrossed,  and 
forwarded  to  me  by  the  officers  of  the  Adams  Express 
Company.  They  speak  for  themselves. 

These  are  but  two  of  the  many  operations  in 
which  I  have  succeeded  in  apprehending  the  robbers 
and  recovering  the  money  taken,  and  in  the  following 
pages,  I  shall  relate  a  few  instances  in  which  some 
new  features  of  express  robbing  are  developed, 
although  the  events  related  took  place  some  years 
ago. 


jt 


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vo 


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^    ^\    ^      ^      ^jN  ^x   v 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER,  571 


A    BOLD    EXPRESS    ROBBERY. — CLEVER    DETECTIVE 
WORK. — THE  ROBBERS  BROUGHT  TO  JUSTICE. 

In  1 86-,  the  village  of  Grafton,  in  West  Vir 
ginia,  was  the  scene  of  a  carefully  planned  and  skill 
fully  executed  express  robbery,  by  which  the  attempt 
was  made  to  defraud  the  Adams  Express  Company 
of  the  amount  of  twenty-seven  thousand  dollars. 

Grafton,  at  that  time,  was  a  post  village  in  Taylor 
county,  and  contained  but  a  small  population.  It 
was  located  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and 
was  also  the  junction  of  the  Parkersburg  branch 
road.  The  village  was  built  upon  the  banks  of 
Tygarts  valley  river,  which  flows  through  the  North 
western  part  of  the  state,  and  here  the  Adams  Ex 
press  Company,  with  their  usual  energy  and  thrift, 
had  established  an  office  for  the  transmission  of 
freight  and  valuables. 

The  war  with  its  bloody  scenes  had  ended  ;  the 
North  and  the  South  were  at  peace  ;  the  Union 
soldiers  had  laid  aside  the  blue  uniforms  and  the 
musket,  and  had  returned  to  pursue  the  peaceful 
avocations  of  trade  and  agriculture.  The  Southern 

o 

veteran  had  doffed  the  tattered  butternut,  and  had 
surrendered  to  the  conquering  hosts  of  the  North. 
The  country  was  at  peace,  and  the  merchant,  the 


572  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

mechanic,  and  the  husbandman  turned  again  to  those 
pursuits  which  they  had  followed,  before  the  dark 
cloud  of  war  had  overshadowed  this  fair  land.  The 
dead  had  been  buried,  the  wounded  had  been  nursed 
back  to  life,  and  the  survivors  were  again  toiling  in 
the  marts  of  trade,  in  the  workshop,  or  at  the  plow. 
From  the  desolation  and  the  ravages  of  war,  the 
country  was  emerging  into  the  sunshine  of  an 
enduring  peace. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  conflict  which  had 
raged  so  persistently  and  so  disastrously  for  four  long 
years,  many  men  had  accumulated  riches,  who  were 
now  seeking  for  legitimate  investment.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  these  were  not  the  men  who  fought  in  the 
ranks,  and  bore  the  brunt  of  battle.  But  the  fact 
remains  that  men  grew  wealthy  from  the  needs  of  the 
country,  and  that  opportunities  were  needed  by  which 
this  wealth  could  be  invested. 

The  Rebellion  had  also  given  birth  to  a  horde  of 
adventurers,  who  for  years  afterward  infested  the 
country,  and  preyed  with  systematic  rigor  and  success 
upon  honest  industry  and  frugal  enterprise. 

The  demoralizing  influences  of  the  war  upon 
humanity  has  long  been  felt,  and  will  not  be  entirely 
eradicated  for  years  to  come,  and  the  crimes  that  have 
been  engendered  by  its  influence  would  appall  the 
casual  reader  or  the  indifferent  observer. 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  573 

The  country  surrounding  the  village  of  Grafton 
was  soon  found,  by  inquiring  minds,  to  be  rich  with 
internal  products.  Coal  and  petroleum  were  found 
in  abundance  beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 
mining  operations  and  oil-boring  became  fruitful 
sources  of  investments  to  the  capitalist. 

It  was  no  rare  thing,  therefore,  for  the  Express 
Company  to  have  consigned  to  them  at  this  place 
money  packages  aggregating  to  thousands  of  dollars, 
which  would  enable  the  adventurous  to  purchase 
lands,  the  speculative  to  develop  hidden  stores  of 
wealth,  and  the  industrious  to  remunerate  labor  and 
to  construct  manufactories. 

The  Express  Office  was  located  in  the  building 
used  as  the  railroad  station,  and  was  in  charge  of  men 
who  had  been  proven  to  be  thoroughly  honest,  ener 
getic,  and  capable.  For  several  years  their  labor  had 
been  performed  carefully,  and  no  event  had  occurred 
to  occasion  complaint  or  to  entail  loss  upon  the  com 
pany  they  represented,  and  Grafton  bade  fair  to  rival 
in  a  short  time  towns  which  were  much  older  and 
enterprises  of  larger  experience  and  greater  renown. 

One  Monday  morning,  however,  in  the  early 
spring,  the  agent  and  the  messenger  of  the  Express 
Company  repaired  to  their  office  for  the  purpose  of 
transacting  their  daily  routine  of  business.  On  the 
Saturday  previous,  two  money  packages,  one  of  them 


574  THE     EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

containing  twelve  thousand  dollars,  and  the  other 
purporting  to  enclose  the  amount  of  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,  had  been  received,  and  had  been  safely  locked 
in  the  safe  by  the  agent,  awaiting  the  demand  of  the 
consignees.  Upon  going  to  the  safe  on  the  morning 
in  question,  for  the  purpose  of  removing  such  papers 
as  were  necessary  for  their  daily  business,  the  agent 
at  once  discovered,  to  his  amazement,  that  the  safe 
was  unlocked,  and  that  these  two  valuable  packages 


were  missing. 


The  safe,  he  was  confident,  had  been  securely 
locked  on  the  Saturday  evening  previous,  the  key  had 
never  left  his  possession  from  that  time  to  the  present 
moment,  and  yet  the  safe  was  now  open,  the  lock 
intact,  and  the  packages  had  been  abstracted  in  the 
interim. 

The  agent  immediately  communicated  the  aston 
ishing  ne\vs  to  the  messenger,  but  neither  of  them 
could,  in  any  manner,  account  for  the  mysterious  dis 
appearance  of  the  two  packages  of  money.  The  fact 
alone  remained  that  they  were  gone. 

Mr.  Henry  Adams,  the  agent,  \vas  nearly  distracted 
with  amazement,  and  with  the  fear  that  he  would  be 
charged  with  the  crime.  But  he  lost  no  time  in 
informing  the  chief  officers  of  the  company  of  the  loss 
that  had  been  sustained,  and  requesting  an  examina 
tion  into  the  affair. 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  575 

The  president  of  the  company,  immediately  en 
gaged  the  services  of  my  agency,  and  Mr.  George  H. 
Bangs,  my  general  superintendent,  was  at  once  dis 
patched  to  Grafton,  authorized  to  make  a  full  and 
thorough  investigation  into  the  seeming  mystery. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Bangs,  he  at  once  pro 
ceeded  to  the  express  office,  and  had  an  interview 
with  Mr.  Adams,  the  agent.  That  gentleman  had 
scarcely  recovered  from  the  excitement  with  which 
the  robbery  had  affected  him,  but  he  gave  a  compre 
hensive  account  of  all  that  had  transpired  in  connec 
tion  with  the  matter. 

According  to  his  statement  and  that  of  his  assistant, 
the  messenger,  the  packages  had  arrived  and  had  been 
placed  in  the  safe,  on  the  Saturday  previous  to  the 
robbery.  The  safe  had  been  securely  locked,  and  the 
two  men  left  the  office  together  and  proceeded  to 
their  homes.  On  Monday  morning,  upon  repairing 
to  the  safe,  which  was  unlocked,  but  gave  no  indica 
tions  of  being  tampered  with,  the  packages  were 
missed,  and  no  clue  to  them  had  as  yet  been  dis 
covered. 

One  of  these  packages  had  been  addressed  to  John 
Risley,  a  resident  of  the  village,  and  was  reported  to 
contain  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Risley,  it  was 
ascertained,  had  gone  to  Wheeling  a  few  days  previ 
ous,  in  order  to  dispose  of  some  lands  which  he  owned 


576  THE     EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

> 

in  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  and  the  money  contained 
in  the  package,  was  the  proceeds  of  that  sale,  which 
he  had  expressed  in  his  own  name  to  Grafton,  be 
lieving  that  process  would  be  safer  than  carrying  the 
money  upon  his  person,  during  his  journey  homeward.' 

Mr.  Risley  had  arrived  in  Grafton  on  the  after 
noon  prior  to  the  robbery,  upon  the  train  which 
brought  his  money,  and  had  inquired  of  Mr.  Adams 
whether  his  package  had  been  safely  delivered.  Upon 
being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  requested  Mr. 
Adams  to  hold  the  package  for  him,  as  he  did  not 
care  to  assume  the  risk  himself,  and  was  not  yet  pre 
pared  to  make  an  investment  which  he  contemplated. 

The  other  package  was  addressed  to  an  individ 
ual  who  resided  some  distance  in  the  country,  who 
was  operating  some  oil  wells,  and  contained  the  sum 
of  twelve  thousand  dollars,  and  the  notes  were  alleged 
to  be  all  of  the  issue  of  one  particular  bank.  This 
party  was  unknown  to  Mr.  Adams,  except  by  name 
and  general  reputation. 

It  was  further  learned,  that  the  railroad  station 
and  express  office  was  the  general  resort  of  the  un 
occupied  villagers.  They  would  assemble  there  at  all 
hours  of  the  day,  and  indulge  in  the  exchange  of  news 
items,  in  arguments  upon  the  various  topics  of  the 
times,  and,  in  fact,  made  it  a  regular  place  of  ven- 
dezvous. 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  577 

A  brother  of  Mr.  Risley,  was  the  proprietor  of 
the  railroad  hotel,  and  both  men  were  reported  to  be 
respectable  and  wealthy.  They  had  been  contemplat 
ing  for  some  time  the  idea  of  investing  in  land  in  the 
vicinity  of  Grafton,  and  of  developing  the  petroleum 
deposits  which  were  contained  beneath  it,  but  as  yet 
no  land  had  been  purchased  and  no  operations  begun. 

Mr.  Bangs  closely  questioned  the  two  express 
men,  and  was  fully  convinced  that  both  of  them  were 
honest  and  trustworthy,  and  as  a  rule  were  exceedingly 
careful  and  attentive  to  their  business.  Therefore  no 
suspicion  could  reasonably  attach  to  them,  and  he  was 
required  to  look  further  for  the  parties  who  had  per 
petrated  the  crime. 

Two  theories  were  presented  to  his  mind  upon  the 
conclusion  of  his  investigation.  One  was  that  the 
safe  had  been  left  open  inadvertently,  by  the  officer 
in  charge,  or  else  that  one  of  the  many  frequenters 
of  the  office  had  been  enabled  to  obtain  duplicate 
keys,  and  by  that  means  effect  an  entrance  into  the 
office  and  open  the  safe  undisturbed.  The  latter 
theory  seemed  to  be  the  more  reasonable,  and  he  de 
termined  to  follow  that  up,  before  leaving  the  place. 

By  a  rigid  examination  of  all  the  parties  concerned, 
he  ascertained  that  during  the  day  and  while  the 
villagers  were  lounging  about  the  office  the  officers 
of  the  Express  Company  would  frequently  go  outside 

25 


578  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

to  attend  to  their  business,  leaving  the  key  in  the  safe 
where  it  might  be  used  by  any  one  so  inclined,  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  impression,  and  by  that 
means  a  perfect  duplicate. 

John  Risley  was  also  interviewed  by  Mr.  Bangs. 
He  was  a  tall  venerable  looking  man  of  about  fifty- 
five  years  of  age,  of  quiet  manners  and  steady  habits. 
He  had  lately  come  from  the  state  of  Wisconsin, 
where  he  had  resided  for  a  number  of  years.  His 
general  reputation  was  unimpeachable,  and  at  one 
time  he  had  served  a  term  as  a  member  of  the  Legis 
lature  of  Wisconsin.  At  one  time  he  was  quite 
wealthy,  but  at  present  his  resources  were  rather 
meager,  and  except  for  the  lands  which  he  was 
reported  to  own  in  Wisconsin,  he  was  comparatively 
poor.  This  state  of  affairs  had  been  produced  by 
yielding  to  the  spirit  of  reckless  speculation  which 
prevailed  throughout  the  West,  and  which  had  resulted 
unfortunately  to  him,  and  stripped  him  of  his  fortune. 

Mr.  Risley  gave  his  statement  in  an  apparently 
straight-forward  manner,  but  Mr.  Bangs  noticed  that 
he  carefully  avoided  looking  him  in  the  face.  A  fact 
at  all  times  of  a  suspicious  nature.  He  further  stated 
that  he  had  gone  to  Wheeling,  and  had  disposed  of 
the  lands  which  he  owned,  for  the  sum  of  fifteen  thou 
sand  dollars,  and  that  it  was  this  money  that  had 
been  taken  from  the  Express  Company's  safe.  He 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  579 

had  arrived  home  on  Saturday,  when  he  learned  of 
the  receipt  of  his  package  and  also  of  the  other,  and 
that  the  person  to  whom  the  latter  was  addressed, 
would  not  be  likely  to  call  for  it  until  the  following 
Monday. 

Mr.  Risley  at  once  began  suit  against  the  com 
pany  for  the  recovery  of  his  money,  and  expressed 
his  determination  to  press  the  matter  as  speedily  as 
possible. 

An  investigation  proved  that  Mr.  Risley's  associ 
ates  were  two  men  of  the  name  of  Joseph  Marks,  and 
William  Meredith.  Marks  was  a  man  who  had  pre 
viously  borne  a  good  reputation,  and  was  formerly  a 
contractor  for  the  building  of  bridges.  Meredith  was 
what  is  known  as  an  "  Oil  Sharper,"  who  had  been 
identified  with  several  fraudulent  oil  companies. 
Marks  was  a  resident  of  Wheeling,  living  in  the 
suburbs  of  that  city,  but  made  frequent  visits  to  Graf- 
ton  where  he  was  contemplating  an  investment,  while 
Meredith  was  a  resident  of  Grafton,  and  boarded  in 
the  Hotel  owned  by  Henry  Risley,  the  brother  of 
the  man  whose  money  had  been  stolen.  These  three 
men  met  frequently  at  the  hotel,  and  would  engage 
in  gambling  for  small  sums  of  money,  when  the 
opportunity  was  afforded. 

Mr.  Bangs  visited  Wheeling  and  sought  out  the 
parties  to  whom  Risley  was  alleged  to  have  sold  his 


580  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

property,  but  could  obtain  no  definite  information 
concerning  that  transaction,  and  he  became  convinced 
that  Risley  was  in  some  way  implicated  in  the 
robbery.  He  was,  however,  requested  to  furnish 
proof  of  the  money  having  been  sent,  and  that  the 
package  which  he  delivered  to  the  Express  Company 
contained  the  amount  which  was  claimed.  Mr.  Risley 
at  once  came  to  Wheeling,  and  introduced  Mr.  Bangs 
to  a  very  estimable  young  man,  who  stated  uncle; 
oath  that  lie  had  been  called  into  the  hotel  by  Marks! 
and  Risley,  to  witness  the  arrangement  of  the  money  for 
expressing,  and  that  he  had  seen  Mr.  Risley  put  up 
the  money  for  that  purpose. 

Upon  a  rigid  cross-examination  the  young  man 
explained  that  he  had  not  seen  the  money  counted, 
but  that  he  saw  a  roll,  or  pile  of  what  represented 
money,  and  on  the  top  of  this  was  a  fifty-dollar  bill. 

So  many  cases  had  arisen  previously  that  had 
come  under  my  notice  in  which  " dummy"  packages 
had  been  entrusted  to  the  care  of  the  Express  Com 
pany,  the  safe  afterwards  robbed  and  suits  brought  to 
recover  the  stated  value  of  the  money  sent,  that  Mr. 
Bangs  was  firmly  convinced  of  the  fact,  that  this  was 
but  another  effort  of  the  same  nature.  Directing  the 
Express  Company  to  withhold  payment  until  satis 
factory  proof  could  be  adduced,  Mr.  Bangs  at  once 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  581 

commenced  a   systematic   course    of   inquiry,  which 
would  solve  the  mystery  beyond  all  doubt. 

Having  ascertained  that  William  Meredith  had 
made  frequent  visits  to  Wheeling  recently,  and  that 
he  was  in  the  company  of  Marks  and  Risley  upon  the 
occasion  of  these  visits,  the  idea  occurred  to  Mr. 
Bangs  that  the  duplicate  key  to  the  safe  at  Grafton 
might  have  been  procured  here. 

He  immediately  telegraphed  to  my  Agency  at 
New  York,  for  an  operative  to  assist  him  in  the  in 
vestigation.  Upon  his  arrival  he  was  directed  to 
visit  every  locksmith  in  the  city,  taking  with  him  the 
keys  of  the  plundered  safe,  and  to  endeavor  to  as 
certain  if  any  one  of  them  had  furnished  to  any  par 
ties  a  key  at  all  resembling  the  one  to  be  exhibited, 
and  if  so  to  obtain  a  description  of  the  party,  if  the 
memory  of  the  smith  was  sufficiently  retentive  upon 
the  subject. 

The  operative  at  once  began  his  inquiries,  and  by 
nightfall  had  succeeded  in  finding  one  man,  who  re 
membered  having  furnished  a  blank  key  of  the  same 
size  as  the  one  shown  to  him,  and  which  with  little 
labor  could  have  been  made  into  a  perfect  fac-simile. 
He  described  the  man  to  whom  he  sold  the  key,  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  leave  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of 
Mr.  Bangs,  that  it  could  be  no  other  than  William 
Meredith. 


582  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

Mr.  Bangs  had  communicated  his  suspicion  of  the 
trio,  Risley,  Mark,  and  Meredith,  to  Mr.  Adams,  the 
agent  of  the  Express  Company,  and  requested  him  to 
inform  him  of  the  movements  of  these  gentlemen, 
during  his  absence  from  Grafton.  As  he  was  about 
to  enter  the  dining-hall  of  the  hotel  at  which  he  was 
stopping  for  his  evening  repast,  a  telegram  was 
handed  to  him,  which  upon  opening  hastily,  he  found 
to  be  from  Mr.  Adams. 

Its  contents  were  as  follows: 

"  MR.  GEORGE  H.   BANGS. 

"  Meredith  left  this  afternoon  for  Wheeling. 

(Signed)  HENRY  ADAMS." 

As  the  train  was  not  due  for  some  time,  the  two 
detectives  partook  of  their  supper,  and  upon  its  con- 
clusion  Mr.  Bangs  directed  the  operative  to  repair 
to  the  railroad  station,  and  await  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Meredith.  He  was  furnished  with  a  minute  descrip 
tion  of  that  gentleman,  and  thus  armed  he  would  be 
able  to  single  him  out  from  among  a  hundred  others. 
He  was  also  directed  to  watch  the  individual  until  he 
had  entered  some  building  of  the  nature  of  a  hotel, 
and  then  to  inform  him  (Mr.  Bangs)  of  the  fact  at 
once. 

The  operative  departed  upon  his  mission,  and 
Mr.  Bangs  at  once  repaired  to  the  store  of  the  lock- 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  583 

smith,  whom  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  still 
engaged  at  his  work.  The  man  expressed  himself 
as  being  fully  able  to  identify  the  person  to  whom  he 
had  sold  the  key.  if  he  should  ever  see  him  again,  and 
at  Mr.  Bangs'  request,  and  for  a  pecuniary  considera 
tion,  he  at  once  closed  his  store,  and  accompanied  him 
to  his  hotel. 

They  did  not  have  long  to  wait,  for  soon  the 
operative  returned  with  the  information  that  Mr. 
Meredith  had  arrived  safely  at  Wheeling,  and  that 
he  had  been  met  at  the  train  by  another  man  who 
fully  answered  the  description  of  Joseph  Marks. 
The  two  men  had  proceeded  together  to  a  hotel, 
where  they  registered  themselves,  and  had  gone  into 
supper,  after  which  the  detective  left  and  made  his 
report  as  above  stated. 

The  operative  was  then  instructed  to  accompany 
the  locksmith  to  the  hotel  and  Mr.  Bangs  would  fol- 

o 

low  afterward,  in  order  to  fully  assure  himself  that 
the  parties  were  those  he  was  in  search  of,  and  to  test 
the  memory  of  the  locksmith  for  identification. 

As  they  approached  the  hotel,  two  men  came  out 
smoking  their  cigars,  and  stood  in  the  doorway  ap 
parently  engaged  in  earnest  conversation,  when  the 
operative  and  the  locksmith  'drew  near  enough  to 
distinguish  the  faces  of  these  men.  The  maker  of 
keys  turned  suddenly  to  the  operative  and  exclaimed  : 


SS    ROBBER. 


"  The  tallest  of  those  two  men,  is  the  one  I  sold 
the  blank  key  to  !" 

The  man  designated  by  him  was  William  Mere 
dith,  and  upon  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Bangs,  who  had 
also  noticed  the  two  men,  the  fact  was  at  once  re 
ported  to  him. 

This  identification  was  a  matter  of  profound 
gratification  to  Mr.  Bangs,  and  at  once  removed  all 
doubts  as  to  one  of  the  parties,  whom  he  had  origin 
ally  suspected.  He  now  felt  confident  that  his  first 
theories  had  been  correctly  founded,  and  determined 
to  follow  the  clue  until  it  led  him  to  decisive  results. 

He  at  once  telegraphed  for  additional  men  to 
assist  him  in  the  operations,  and  after  directing  the 
operative  present,  to  keep  watch  upon  the  two  men 
while  together,  and  if  they  separated  to  pay  strict 
attention  to  Mr.  Meredith,  he,  in  company  with  the 
locksmith,  returned  to  the  hotel. 

There  was  another  feature  in  the  case  which  had 
not  been  overlooked.  The  other  package  which  had 
been  taken  had  no  doubt  contained  the  money  which 
it  was  represented  to  enclose,  and  the  identical  bank 
which  had  issued  these  notes,  was  fully  known  to  us. 
The  party  to  whom  they  had  been  addressed,  was  a 
respectable  operator  in  oil,  whose  reputation  and 
business  standing  were  unquestioned.  The  thieves, 
therefore,  had  not  only  succeeded  in  abstracting  the 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  585 

evidently  spurious  package  directed  to  John  Risley, 
but  they  had  possessed  themselves  also  of  the  twelve 
thousand  dollars  belonging  to  the  responsible  party 
in  Grafton  to  whom  it  had  been  consigned. 

It  was  necessary  therefore,  not  only  to  expose 
the  intended  fraud  upon  the  express  company,  but 
to  discover  the  thieves  and  endeavor  to  recover  the 
stolen  property.  Great  care  must  therefore  be  ex 
ercised,  in  order  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  the  three 
men  suspecting  that  they  were  believed  to  have  been 
connected  with  the  matter  at  all. 

At  this  stage  of  the  inquiry,  I  was  fully  informed 
of  the  results  thus  far  attained,  and  from  the  reports 
furnished  me  I  was  fully  convinced  of  the  correctness 
of  the  views  entertained  by  any  General  Superin 
tendent.  After  a  mutual  consultation,  and  having 
received  ample  authority  from  the  officers  of  the 
Express  Company,  we  began  the  work  of  detecting 
the  thieves  and  the  attempt  to  recover  the  money 
stolen. 

A  week  passed  by,  and  the  matter  of  the  robbery 
of  the  Express  Company  had  ceased  to  be  the  ab 
sorbing  topic  of  public  interest. 

The  opening  of  a  new  well  in  the  vicinity,  whose 
daily  yield  was  surprisingly  large,  a  railroad  accident 
and  many  other  events,  had  transpired  in  the  mean 
time,  to  divert  the  attention  of  the  citizens  from  the 

25* 


586  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

abstraction  of  the  two  packages  of  money,  in  the  safe 
at  Grafton. 

On  the  evening  of  a  beautiful  day  in  April,  a 
stranger  arrived  at  the  village  and  secured  quarters 
at  the  Railroad  Hotel.  The  new  comer  was  an 
elderly  man  about  fifty  years  of  age,  whose  gray  hair 
surmounted  a  face,  the  features  of  which  beamed 
with  benevolence  and  good  nature,  of  a  tall  and  com 
manding  figure,  dressed  in  the  quiet  garb  of  a  retired 
gentleman,  and  with  an  ease  of  manner  that  showed 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  of  associa 
tion  with  gentlemen.  He  became  at  once  the  sub 
ject  of  considerable  curiosity  and  speculation  among 
the  guests  at  the  hotel,  and  the  residents  of  the 
village  who  congregated  there  during  the  evening. 

Apparently  unconscious  of  the  scrutiny  to  which 
he  was  generally  subjected,  the  stranger  conducted 
himself  with  the  utmost  unconcern  for  those  about 
him.  He  went  into  supper,  and  after  finishing  his 
repast,  lighted  a  cigar,  and  seating  himself  in  the 
reading-room,  he  drew  from  his.  pocket  a  newspaper 
and  soon  became  absorbed  in  its  contents.  Mean 
while  the  people  around  him,  had  engaged  in  sub 
dued  conversation,  of  which  his  appearance  was 
evidently  the  leading  topic.  One  by  one  they  had 
inspected  the  register  of  the  hotel  in  order  to  ascer 
tain  the  name  of  this  apparently  well-to-do  stranger, 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  587 

and  numerous  speculations  were   indulged  in   as  to 
the  probable  cause  of  his  visit  to  Grafton. 

The  register  afforded  them  but  little  information. 
The  man  had  simply  entered  himself  as  David  Fow 
ler,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  he  had  not  as  yet  indulged 
in  conversation  with  anyone  except  the  clerk  of  the 
hotel,  and  that  only  in  relation  to  the  room  he  was  to 
occupy,  and  to  state  that  he  would  probably  remain 
in  Grafton  several  days. 

Among  those  who  were  seated  about  the  hotel 
this  evening,  were  John  Risley  and  William  Mere 
dith,  and  their  conversation,  which  was  carried  on  in 
low  tones,  was  principally  concerning  the  gentlemanly 
looking  stranger,  whom  they  finally  concluded  was  a 
man  of  wealth  from  Ohio,  who  had  come  to  Grafton 
with  the  intention  of  speculating  in  coal  or  oil. 

Meredith,  with  his  eye  always  to  the  main  chance, 
and  having  several  schemes  at  present  on  hand,  im 
agined  that  in  this  Mr.  Fowler  he  would  find  an  op 
portunity  to  enrich  himself,  by  inducing  him  to  in 
vest  his  money,  if  such  was  his  object,  through  Mr. 
Meredith's  agency. 

As  the  evening  wore  on  and  Mr.  Fowler  evinced 
no  disposition  to  be  communicative  or  inquisitive, 
Mr.  Risley  walked  over  to  where  he  sat  with  his 
paper  before  him,  and  sat  down  beside  him. 

As  he  took  his  seat,  Mr.  Fowler  looked  up  and  a 


588  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

mutual  salutation  passed  between  them,  and  the 
genial  face  of  the  stranger  lighted  up  with  a  cheery 
smile  as  he  made  room  for  Risley  to  sit  down. 

With  the  natural  curiosity  of  an  old  resident, 
Risley  plied  Mr.  Fowler  with  numerous  questions, 
all  of  which  were  intended  to  glean  from  the  stran 
ger  the  object  of  his  visit  and  the  possibility  of  his 
intention  to  invest  in  the  undeveloped  lands  round 
about. 

To  all  of  these  interrogations  Mr.  Fowler  an 
swered  in  an  easy,  good-natured  manner,  which  soon 
put  Risley  at  his  ease,  and  tended  to  render  their 
conversation  familiar  and  communicative.  In  a  short 
time  Mr.  Fowler  had  informed  Mr.  Risley  that  he 
had  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  cattle  drover 
in  the  west,  where  he  had  accumulated  quite  a  snug 
sum  of  money.  Hearing  of  the  resources  of  Grafton, 
he  had  paid  a  visit  to  the  locality  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  correctness  of  his  information,  and  if  he  found  a 
good  opportunity,  the  probabilities  were  that  he 
would  engage  in  some  enterprise  that  promised  a 
profitable  return. 

They  got  along  swimmingly  together,  these  two 
men.  The  good-nature  of  Mr.  Fowler  imparted  itself 
to  his  companion,  and  soon  the  two  old  gentlemen 
were  laughing  heartily  at  each  other's  sallies,  and 
their  pleasant  acquaintance  was  an  assured  fact. 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

They  conversed  for  a  long  time  together,  and  at 
last  Mr.  Fowler  during  a  lull  in  their  conversation, 
drew  his  watch  from  his  pocket,  and  apparently  sur 
prised  at  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  excused  himself 
and  retired  to  his  room. 

Bidding  his  new  acquaintance  good  night,  Mr. 
Risley  immediately  sought  out  Meredith,  who  was  in 
the  bar-room  of  the  hotel,  and  these  two  worthies 
were  soon  engaged  in  earnest  conference.  After  a 
while,  selecting  two  others,  they  ascended  to  a  room 
in  one  of  the  upper  floors,  where  they  engaged  in  a 
friendly  game  of  poker  with  small  moneyed  hazards, 
until  the  early  hours  of  morning  warned  them  to  de 
sist,  when  they  separated  and  retired  to  their  sev 
eral  couches. 

In  the  morning  Mr.  Fowler  and  Mr.  Risley  again 
met,  and  the  friendliness,  commenced  on  the  previous 
evening,  manifested  itself  in  their  friendly  greetings 
of  each  other. 

After  breakfast,  Mr.  Risley  invited  Mr.  Fowler 
to  ride  with  him  through  the  oil  country,  and  that 
gentleman  cordially  accepting  the  invitation,  they  were 
soon  on  their  way  to  the  productive  fields  beyond  the 
town. 

During  their  drive,  Mr.  Fowler  evinced  the  liveliest 
interest  in  all  that  related  to  the  development  of  the 
oil  lands,  and  the  mining  of  coal  which  was  said  to  be 


590  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

found  in  large  quantities  in  this  locality.  His  open 
friendliness  soon  won  the  friendship  and  confidence 
of  the  other,  and  he  began  to  feel  as  though  they  were 
old  friends,  instead  of  recent  acquaintances. 

Upon  reaching  the  locality  which  Mr.  Risley 
desired  particularly  to  call  to  the  notice  of  his  friend, 
they  were  both  somewhat  surprised  to  find  Mr. 
Meredith  already  there.  Mr.  Risley  introduced  his 
companion  to  Meredith,  and  the  three  men  walked 
over  the  grounds,  both  Risley  and  Meredith  expatiat 
ing  with  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm  upon  the  rare 
opportunities  that  were  offered  for  the  accumulation 
of  a  fortune  in  a  very  short  space  of  time.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  attention  and  interest  displayed  by 
Mr.  Fowler  as  this  information  was  received,  and  as 
they  drove  back  to  town,  he  spoke  most  favorably  of 
the  proposed  enterprise. 

"  I  expect  a  remittance  in  a  few  days,"  said  Mr. 
Fowler,  "  but  it  will  not  be  sufficient  for  the  expenses 
that  will  be  necessary  to  develop  the  land  in  order  to 
make  it  profitable." 

"  I  will  have  some  money  of  my  own  shortly,"  said 
Risley,  "  as  soon  as  my  suit  against  the  Adams 
Express  Company  is  settled." 

"  Have  you  a  suit  against  that  company  ?"  inquired 
Mr.  Fowler. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  other,  "a  suit  for  fifteen  thou- 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  591 

sand  dollars  ;"  and  he  related  to  Mr.  Fowler  the  facts 
as  far  as  known  in  relation  to  the  robbery  of  the  safe 
and  the  abstraction  of  the  two  packages  of  money. 
He  then  added,  "When  I  receive  that,  I  intend  to 
invest  it  in  this  way,  and  if  you  have  no  objections, 
we  can  join  together  in  the  matter." 

"That  is  perfectly  satisfactory  to  me"  said  Mr. 
Fowler,  "and  I  hope  you  will  have  no  trouble  in 
recovering  your  money." 

Mr.  Fowler  did  not  seem  to  display  any  curiosity 
about  the  robbery  of  the  Express  Company,  but  con 
tented  himself  with  casual  inquiries  about  the  circum 
stances  connected  with  it,  and  whether  any  one  was 
suspected  of  committing  the  crime. 

On  arriving  at  the  hotel  the  two  men  went  into 
the  bar-room  and  indulged  in  a  drink,  and  while  there 
Mr.  Fowler's  attention  was  attracted  by  a  poster  which 
hung  upon  the  wall. 

Immediately  upon  the  facts  of  the  robbery  being 
fully  made  known  to  me,  I  had  caused  posters  to  be 
printed  which  contained  a  full  account  of  the  affair, 
and  which  also  stated  the  name  of  the  bank  which  had 
issued  the  notes  which  were  contained  in  the  twelve 
thousand  dollar  package.  A  reward  was  offered  for 
the  apprehension  of  the  thieves,  or  for  such  informa 
tion  as  would  lead  to  their  arrest,  and  it  was  this 
poster  which  attracted  the  notice  of  Mr.  Fowler. 


592  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

Mr.  Risley  and  Mr.  Fowler  walked  over  to  where 
the  poster  was  displayed  and  silently  perused  its 
wording — Mr.  Fowler,  with  the  undisturbed  air  of  a 
disinterested  observer,  while  Mr.  Risley  displayed  a 
nervousness  which  did  not  escape  his  companion,  and 
which  would  ordinarily  have  excited  suspicion.  Mr. 
Fowler  paid  no  attention  to  this  however,  and  after  a 
careless  remark  about  the  robbery,  they  left  the  bar 
room  and  went  into  dinner. 

Several  days  passed  on,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  the  new-comer  and  Mr.  Risley  had  become 
inseparable  friends,  they  rode  out  together,  they 
smoked  their  after-dinner  cigars  in  company,  and  in 
the  evening  they  would  join  with  the  others  in  their 
card-playing  for  small  stakes,  in  which  it  almost 
invariably  happened  that  Mr.  Fowler  and  Mr.  Risley 
were  winners.  Mr.  Fowler  had  extended  his  circle  of 
acquaintances,  and  had  become  quite  popular  with 
the  villagers  and  the  guests  at  the  hotel.  He  also 
visited  the  Express  Office,  and  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Mr.  Adams,  agent  of  the  company,  with  whom  he 
conversed  about  the  robbery,  in  the  presence  of 
others,  and  in  a  careless  good-natured  manner  offered 
his  opinion,  that  the  thieves,  whoever  they  were,  must 
have  been  pretty  smart  fellows. 

This  was  said  with  a  quiet  smile,  and  with  a  sly 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  593 

wink  at  Mr.  Risley,  which  greatly  confused  that  gen 
tleman  and  prevented  him  from  replying. 

It  was  the  general  impression  that  the  detectives 
had  given  up  the  task,  and  that  no  further  investiga 
tions  were  being  made  into  the  affair.  That  the  only 
thing  to  be  done  was  for  the  gentlemen  who  had  lost 
their  money,  to  await  the  opening  of  the  spring  term 
of  the  court,  and  to  substantiate  their  claim  when  the 
money  would  be  promptly  refunded  to  them. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Fowler  had  interested  himself  to  a 
very  great  extent,  in  the  oil  speculations  which  he 
had  announced  was  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Graf- 
ton. 

He  had  repeated  conversations  with  Risley, 
Meredith  and  Marks,  who  often  came  to  Grafton, 
upon  the  subject.  He  deeply  deplored  the  delay  to 
which  Risley  was  subjected  in  receiving  his  money, 
and  at  length  suggested  a  scheme  that  would  prob 
ably  obviate  all  difficulty. 

He  would  visit  a  number  of  his  friends  in  the 
West,  who  were  cattle-drovers  with  means,  and  in 
company  with  Risley  they  would  endeavor  to  inter 
est  them  in  the  speculation,  and  if  they  succeeded  in 
that,  all  further  trouble  about  money  would  be  suc 
cessfully  overcome. 

Risley  eagerly  consented  to  the  proposition,  and, 
after  making  full  preparations  for  their  journey,  the 


594  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

two  men  departed.  They  went  together  to  Cincin 
nati  and  to  Chicago,  and  saw  various  western  cities, 
Fowler  having  a  large  acquaintance  among  men  who 
were  engaged  in  the  droving  business,  introducing 
his  friend  to  them,  and  wherever  they  went  they  were 
hospitably  entertained.  It  was  arranged  that  Fowler 
should  invariably  broach  the  subject  of  the  proposed 
investment,  and  that  at  a  time  when  Risley  would  be 
absent.  That  Risley  should  be  introduced  to  these 
men  as  being  largely  interested  in  oil  and  coal  lands, 
which  gave  promise  of  large  yields,  but  that  he  should 
not  be  understood  as  advertising  his  possessions,  or 
as  seeking  for  assistance  in  working  them. 

Fowler  would,  therefore,  report  to  his  friend  Ris 
ley,  the  result  of  his  conversations  with  his  friends, 
all  of  which  was  of  a  character  to  inspire  the  hopes 
of  Risley  in  the  success  of  the  schemes  in  which  they 
were  engaged. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  Risley  was  one  of 
those  happy-go-lucky  fellows,  who  was  fond  of  a 
"  good  time,"  and  who  would  drink  more  than  was 
good  for  him  when  in  the  company  of  congenial 
spirits.  Mr.  Fowler,  too,  laid  aside  much  of  his  dig 
nity  and  frequently  indulged  in  these  little  irregulari 
ties  which  both  of  the  old  fellows  seemed  to  enjoy 
very  much. 

By  this  time  they  had  become  bosom  friends,  and 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  595 

had  reposed  in  each  other  mutual  confidences  which 
drew  them  nearer  together.  One  day,  Fowler  re 
turned  to  the  hotel  where  they  were  stopping  in  Chi 
cago,  and  found  Risley  in  rather  a  mellow  mood, 
impatiently  awaiting  his  coming.  He  was  not  in 
toxicated,  but  rather  in  that  peculiarly  gracious  and 
communicative  mood  which  is  produced  by  imbibing 
a  trifle  too  much  of  "  strong  water." 

"  Well,  old  man,  what  luck  ?"  was  his  first  saluta 
tion,  as  Fowler  entered  the  room. 

"  Pretty  good  to-day,"  answered  Fowler,  in  an 
easy  manner. 

"  Did  you  find  anybody  that  wanted  to  invest?" 
was  the  next  inquiry. 

"  Yes,  I  found  two,  and  if  you  only  had  your 
money  now  we  would  be  all  right,"  said  Mr.  Fowler. 

"  Well,  maybe  I  have  got  some  that  will  do  just 
as  well,"  said  Risley,  as  he  drew  a  large  wallet  from 
his  pocket,  and  threw  it  down  upon  the  table. 

He  opened  the  wallet  and  displayed  to  the  gaze 
of  his  companion  a  bundle  of  bills,  new  and  crisp,  of 
the  denomination  of  a  hundred  dollars. 

"  How  will  that  do  old  fellow,  for  a  first  install 
ment  ?"  he  asked  with  a  chuckle. 

<l  Well,  that  will  do  all  right,  I  guess,"  answered 
Fowler  as  he  drew  near  to  the  table,  and  took  up  the 
bundle  of  notes.  As  he  did  so,  he  noticed  with  a 


596  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER 

start,  that  the  notes  were  all  issued  by  the  bank 
whose  name  had  been  mentioned  in  my  poster,  and 
he  felt  certain  that  these  could  be  none  others  than 
the  notes  stolen  from  the  express  safe  at  Grafton. 
The  amount  of  them  which  Risley  had,  amounted  to 
five  thousand  dollars. 

"  You  are  a  sly  old  coon,"  said  Fowler,  slapping 
him  upon  the  back.  "  You  did  a  pretty  good  job  with 
the  safe,  and  I  congratulate  you." 

Risley  looked  up  into  his  companion's  face,  but 
seeing  there  only  a  sly  twinkle  in  the  eye  and  a  good- 
natured  smile  upon  the  lips,  he  burst  into  a  loud 
and  hearty  laugh. 

"Yes,  yes,"  he  said  after  his  laugh  was  over, 
"  we  managed  that  pretty  well,  didn't  we  ?" 

"  I  should  think  you  did,"  said  Fowler,  "  but  we 
must  get  rid  of  these  notes,  they  are  well  known  and 
might  compromise  us,  you  know." 

"  I  know  that,"  said  Risley,  "  but  how  are  we 
going  to  do  it?" 

"  Oh,  I'll  fix  that,"  said  Fowler,  with  a  confident 
air.  "  I  used  to  deal  in  counterfeit  money  a  little, 
some  time  ago,  and  I  can  fix  this  all  right.  I  will 
give  you  other  money  for  this,  and  then  dispose  of 
it  in  safety." 

"  You're  a  pretty  good  sort  of  a  fellow,"  said 
Risley,  "  and  just  the  kind  of  a  friend  a  man  ought 


THE     EXPRESS    ROBBER.  597 

to  have,"  and  he  reached  over  and  warmly  clasped 
the  hand  of  Mr.  Fowler. 

"  Where  is  the  rest  of  the  money  ?"  said  Mr. 
Fowler,  "  we  might  as  well  dispose  of  the  whole  of 
it,  while  we  are  about  it." 

"  Why  Marks  and  Meredith  divided  the  balance, 
but  they  have  been  afraid  to  dispose  of  it  ever  since." 

"Well,  you  write  to  them,  tell  them  it  will  be  all 
right,  and  they  can  either  bring  it  on  themselves  or 
send  it  by  express.  I  have  friends  here  who  will 
manage  it  to  a  dot." 

"All  right,"  said  Risley,  "I'll  write  to  them 
to-night." 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Fowler,  "  I  guess  we  had 
better  have  this  done  out  of  the  United  States. 
Suppose  you  write  to  them  to  meet  you  in  Windsor, 
Canada,  and  then  we  will  be  perfectly  safe." 

"That's  a  good  idea,"  said  Risley,  "I'll  fix  it 
that  way,  and  then  we  will  be  sure  to  be  all  right." 

That  night  he  wrote  to  both  of  his  friends,  de 
tailed  the  circumstances  fully  to  them,  and  advised 
them  to  come  to  Detroit,  when  they  would  all  go 
over  to  Windsor,  and  Mr.  Fowler  would  give  them 
other  money  for  what  they  had. 

Risley  was  over-joyed  at  the  prospect  before  him, 
and  the  friendliness  he  manifested  towards  Fowler 
became  so  demonstrative,  that  it  almost  grew  weari- 


598  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

some.  However,  in  a  few  days  they  received  a  tele 
gram  from  Marks  and  Meredith,  signifying  their 
acceptance  of  Fowler's  offer,  and  stating  that  they 
would  be  in  Detroit  upon  a  day  which  they  named. 

During  the  absence  of  Risley  and  Fowler,  my 
operatives  had  kept  close  watch  upon  the  movements 
of  the  two  men  who  remained  at  home,  Messrs. 
Meredith  and  Marks,  but  their  carefulness  was  not 
rewarded  by  anything  which  appeared  at  all  suspi 
cious.  Both  of  them  attended  to  their  affairs  in  a 
business-like  manner,  and  seemed  to  be  entirely  occu 
pied  by  matters  of  a  purely  legitimate  character. 

Upon  the  day,  however,  when  Meredith  sent  the 
telegram  to  Risley,  the  detective  was  on  hand,  and 
after  Meredith  had  left  the  office,  the  operative  entered 
hurriedly  and  approaching  the  clerk  said  : 

"  Mr.  Meredith  has  just  sent  a  dispatch,  but  he 
thinks  he  has  made  a  mistake  in  it,  will  you  allow  me 
to  correct  it  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  said  the  unsuspecting  clerk,  hand 
ing  over  the  blank  which  Meredith  had  filled  up. 

The  detective  carefully  read  the  words,  and  hav 
ing  fixed  them  in  his  mind  handed  it  back  saying  : 

"  No,  there  is  no  mistake,  Mr.  Meredith  thought 
he  had  named  the  wrong  day,"  and  then  thanking  the 
clerk  for  his  courtesy,  he  withdrew. 

He  had  very  little    time,  to  spare,  for  the  train 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  599 

was  due  in  a  half  hour,  and  Meredith  would  no  doubt 
take  passage  upon  it.  He  was  not  disappointed,  for 
soon  Meredith  appeared  with  a  satchel  and  purchas 
ing  a  ticket  for  Wheeling,  he  entered  the  car.  The 
detective  followed  him,  and  after  reaching  Wheeling 
he  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Bangs  the  discovery,  he  had 
made. 

Meredith  soon  met  Marks,  and  the  two  operatives 
were  thrown  together,  and  that  evening  the  quartette 
started  upon  their  journey  to  Detroit.  Messrs.  Fow 
ler  and  Risley  had  also  left  Chicago  for  the  same  des 
tination,  and  the  transfer  of  the  money  would  soon 
no  doubt  be  made. 

Each  of  the  three  men  were  congratulating  them 
selves  upon  the  happy  chance  which  brought  Mr. 
Fowler  to  Grafton,  in  time  to  do  them  so  great  a  serv 
ice,  and  the  detectives  were  active  and  alert  for  any 
developments  that  might  be  made. 


The  two  men,  Joseph  Marks  and  William  Mere 
dith,  accompanied  by  their  unknown  and  unnoticed 
attendants,  arrived  in  Detroit  just  as  the  gathering 
twilight  was  throwing  its  darkening  shadows  over  the 
city.  They  were  met  at  the  station  by  John  Risley 
and  Mr.  Fowler,  and  the  greetings  exchanged  were 
the  most  cordial. 

The  two  detectives  were  standing  at  a  convenient 


600  THE     EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

distance,  keeping  the  parties  in  full  view,  when  they 
were  accosted  by  another  operative  from  my  New 
York  office.  Without  unnecessary  delay  he  directed 
them  to  repair  at  once  to  a  hotel,  which  he  named, 
and  that  he  would  take  care  of  the  gentlemen  who 
were  now  conversing  so  good-naturedly  together. 
Having  been  trained  to  obey  instructions  without 
asking  unnecessary  questions,  the  two  men  did  as 
they  were  directed,  and  to  their  surprise  they  found 
the  portly  and  imposing  figure  of  Mr.  Bangs  standing 
in  the  doorway  of  the  hotel.  They  could  not  account 
for  his  presence  there,  in  advance  of  them,  and  he  did 
not  enlighten  them  upon  the  subject. 

He  requested  them  to  come  up  to  his  room,  and 
then,  after  hearing  a  full  report  of  what  had  transpired, 
he  gave  them  fall  and  explicit  orders  as  to  their 
course  of  action.  After  all  the  arrangements  had 
been  duly  made,  Mr.  Bangs,  in  company  with  the  two 
men,  left  the  hotel,  and  proceeded  in  the  direction 
which  the  persons,  they  had  been  watching,  would 
naturally  take,  in  reaching  the  same  house.  They 
had  not  walked  far,  when  they  espied  the  four  men 
walking  leisurely  along,  and  apparently  in  great  good 
humor.  Risley  was  relating  some  of  his  experiences 
in  Chicago,  which  were  evidently  of  an  amusing  na 
ture,  for  his  friends  laughed  heartily  at  the  recital. 

The  detectives  approached   them,  and    at    a  sign 


o 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  601 

from  Mr.  Bangs,  the  two  men  with  him,  and  the  one 
on  the  rear,  advanced  toward  Risley,  Marks  and  Mere 
dith,  while  Mr.  Bangs  himself  took  care  of  Mr.  Fow 
ler. 

Before  the  four  gentlemen  could  realize  their  po 
sition,  a  heavy  hand  was  laid  on  each  their  shoulders, 
and  the  stern  voice  of  Mr.  Bangs  fell  upon  their  ears  : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  demand  your  surrender  for  the 
robbery  of  the  express  company  at  Grafton,  and  an 
attempt  to  escape  will  be  fatal  to  the  man  who  makes 
the  effort." 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  resolute  tone  of  that 
voice,  and  no  evading  the  strong  grip  which  each 
man  felt  upon  his  arm.  Escape  would  be  impossi 
ble,  and  they  realized  it  at  once.  Besides  that,  their 
surprise  was  almost  overpowering,  their  laugh  was 
still  ringing  in  the  air  when  they  were  thus  accosted, 
and  they  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  shock 
which  the  notice  of  their  arrest  had  occasioned. 
Each  looked  at  the  other  in  hopeless  dismay,  and  not 
a  word  was  spoken  until  they  reached  the  hotel.  Four 
rooms  had  previously  been  engaged  by  Mr.  Bangs, 
and  as  they  ascended  the  stairs  the  curious  eyes  of 
the  guests  who  were  lounging  about  the  hotel,  fol 
lowed  them  on  their  way. 

One  man  was  assigned  to  each  room,  a  detective 

being  delegated   to   guard   each  prisoner,  and  in    a 

26 


602,  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

short  space  of  time  the  lock  of  each  door  clicked  be 
hind  them,  and  they  found  themselves  shut  in,  with 
an  officer  of  the  law  for  a  companion.  Mr.  Bangs 
had  secured  two  communicating  rooms  in  which  to 
place  Mr.  Fowler  and  John  Risley,  as  it  was  his  in 
tention  that  Risley  should  hear  all  that  transpired 
between  himself  and  Mr.  Fowler. 

By  a  systematic  course  of  questioning,  which 
proved  that  he  was  fully  posted  as  to  the  movements 
of  the  men  who  had  been  arrested,  Mr.  Bangs  gradu 
ally  induced  Mr.  Fowler  to  become  communicative. 

Meanwhile  John  Risley  had  crouched  upon  his 
knees  beside  the  door,  his  ears  strained  to  catch 
every  word  uttered  by  the  two  men  in  the  room  ad 
joining  ;  with  eyes  glaring  and  with  his  hands 
clenched,  he  listened  to  what  was  transpiring,  and 
when  at  length  Mr.  Fowler  broke  completely  down 
and  handed  over  the  money  which  he  had  received, 
John  Risley  uttered  a  cry  of  agony  accompanied  by 
terrible  oaths,  and  threw  himself  upon  the  bed. 

Presently  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door,  and  as 
the  detective  opened  it,  Mr.  Bangs  and  Mr.  Fowler 
stood  in  the  door-way.  Silently  they  entered,  and 
Fowler  going  up  to  Risley,  laid  his  hand  upon  his 
shoulder  and  said  : 

"  It's  of  no  use,  Risley,  Mr.  Bangs  knows  all  about 
it,  and  we  may  as  well  give  up." 


THE  EXPRESS  ROBBER.        603 

Risley  started  to  his  feet  and  gazed  fiercely  at 
Fowler,  but  as  his  eye  encountered  the  steady  genial 
look  of  the  other,  his  fierceness  was  gone  and  he 
was  plastic  in  our  hands.  He  realized  that  subter 
fuge  and  untruthfulness  could  avail  him  no  further, 
and  he  made  a  full  and  thorough  confession  of  all 
the  facts  in  relation  to  the  robbery. 

From  his  statement  it  appeared  that  Meredith  first 
suggested  and  planned  the  robbery,  and  by  his  argu 
ments  and  solicitations,  Risley  was  finally  induced  to 
join  in  the  attempt,  Meredith  furnished  Risley  with 
a  lump  of  wax  and  explained  to  him  the  use  of  it, 
and  one  day  while  both  the  agent  and  messenger  of 
the  company  were  outside,  he  quietly  removed  the 
key  from  the  safe,  and  in  a  few  moments  had  a  per 
fect  impression  of  it  in  wax. 

Meredith  then  procured  the  blank  key  at  Wheel 
ing,  and  assisted  by  Marks,  the  instrument  was  made 
which  so  successfully  opened  the  way  to  their  robbery. 
The  work  was  performed  by  Meredith  and  Marks  af 
ter  Mr.  Risley  had  sent  his  "dummy"  package  from 
Wheeling,  and  the  fact  of  the  second  package  being 
there  had  not  entered  into  their  original  calculations 
at  all.  When  they  learned  of  it,  however,  their 
cupidity  was  not  proof  against  the  temptation,  and 
they  secured  both  packages.  One  of  them  contained 
what  it  represented  to  do  :  twelve  thousand  dollars, 


604  THti    EXPRESS    ROB&ER. 

and  the  other  a  bundle  of  brown  paper  with  a  fifty- 
dollar  National  Bank  note  upon  the  top — for  which 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  was  to  be  claimed  through 
the  courts  of  law. 

The  confession  of  John  Risley  was  most  complete 
and  full,  and  at  its  conclusion  he  with  tearful  eyes 
besought  Mr.  Bangs  to  deal  as  leniently  with  him  as 
was  possible.  His  gay  demeanor  had  disappeared 
and  he  whined  piteously  and  begged  for  mercy.  Mr. 
Bangs  informed  him  that  he  would  do  all  that  he 
could  for  him,  but  that  the  matter  would  rest  entirely 
with  the  court  before  which  he  would  have  to  be 
tried,  and  that  he  could  promise  nothing. 

After  leaving  Risley  Mr.  Bangs  proceeded  to  the 
rooms  occupied  by  Meredith  and  Marks.  Meredith 
was  morose  and  silent,  he  seemed  to  have  given  up 
all  hope  and  had  resigned  himself  to  his  fate,  but  he 
declined  peremptorily  to  make  any  statement  that 
might  criminate  himself.  He  was  searched  and  upon 
his  person  was  found  his  share  of  the  robbery,  four 
thousand  dollars,  all  in  the  original  notes  which  had 
been  taken  and  which  he  had  hitherto  been  afraid  to 
dispose  of. 

In  the  meantime  Marks  had  been  chafing  like  a 
caged  tiger  ;  of  an  excitable  disposition,  he  stormed 
and  raved  at  the  detective,  and  with  terrible  oaths 
threatened  vengeance  upon  his  captors.  He  walked 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  605 

his  room  impatiently  and  his  eyes  flashed  with  anger 
and  hate.  He  was  no  doubt  a  dangerous  man  when 
aroused  and  the  detective  watched  him  carefully  lest 
he  should  make  an  attack  upon  him,  and  attempt  to 
effect  his  escape. 

When  Mr.  Bangs  entered  the  room  he  was 
received  with  curses  and  denunciations  from  the 
baffled  thief,  but  his  quiet,  stern  manner  soon  con 
vinced  the  desperado  that  fuming  would  avail  him 
but  little,  and  that  his  threats  were  but  idle  breath 
ings  when  launched  at  the  fearless  man  who  stood 
before  him.  The  handcuffs  were  placed  upon  his 
wrists  and  although  he  evinced  a  disposition  to  resist 
their  application,  a  word  of  stern  command  from  Mr. 
Bangs  convinced  him  of  the  folly  of  such  a  proceed 
ing,  and  he  submitted  with  a  dogged  silence  to  the 
humiliating  operation. 

His  person  was  also  searched  and  his  share  of  the 
transaction  was  found  in  the  lining  of  his  coat,  three 
thousand  dollars — and  thus  the  entire  amount  of  the 
stolen  property  had  been  successfully  recovered. 

Mr.  Bangs  returned  to  his  room  where  he  found 
Mr.  Fowler  awaiting  him.  Grasping  his  hand  cor 
dially  Mr.  Bangs  exclaimed : 

"  Fowler,  you  have  manged  this  case  admirably, 
and  the  success  we  have  accomplished  is  mainly  owing 
to  your  tact,  energy  and  intelligence." 


606  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

As  the  reader  has  no  doubt  already  divined,  Mr. 
Fowler,  the  elderly  and  gentlemanly  cattle  drover, 
was  an  operative  upon  my  force,  who  had  been 
selected  by  me  for  this  investigation,  and  through 
whose  agency,  acting  under  my  instructions,  the 
matter  had  been  brought  to  a  successful  issue. 

The  stolen  money  was  now  all  in  my  hands,  and 
the  thieves  were  all  under  the  watchful  charge  of  my 
men.  Risley's  confession  had  been  fully  made  and 
would  be  sufficient  for  the  conviction  of  the  prisoners. 
Thus  far  all  had  been  successfully  accomplished,  and 
nothing  further  remained  to  be  done,  but  to  transport 
the  discomfited  gentlemen  back  to  Virginia. 

As  a  train  left  that  evening  Mr.  Bangs  deter 
mined  to  lose  no  time  in  transferring  his  prisoners  to 
the  state  in  which  the  crime  had  been  committed. 
Other  matters  were  requiring  his  attention,  and  he 
was  desirous  of  rendering  up  his  charges  to  the  pro 
per  authorities  when  his  task  would  be  ended,  and 
he  would  be  at  liberty  to  devote  himself  to  press 
ing  affairs  that  required  his  individual  services  and 
presence. 

The  prisoners  were  therefore  handcuffed  to  their 
captors,  the  shackles  being  placed  upon  the  right 
wrist  of  the  prisoners,  and  upon  the  left  arm  of  their 
escort,  and  thus  in  couples,  led  by  Mr.  Bangs,  the 
party  proceeded  to  the  depot,  where  entering  the 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBE&.  607 

cars,  they  were  soon  speeding  upon  their  way  to  the 
scene  of  their  burglarious  exploit.  Mr.  Fowler  hav 
ing  performed  all  the  duties  required  of  him,  returned 
to  Chicago,  where  he  was  soon  engaged  upon  an 
operation  of  an  entirely  different  character. 

Without  accident,  the  prisoners  and  their  escorts 
arrived  at  Wheeling.  Mr.  Bangs  secured  rooms  at 
a  hotel  for  the  party,  and  they  retired  to  bed  ;  each 
operative  taking  the  precaution  to  lock  the  door  of 
his  room  and  to  wheel  the  bedstead  directly  across 
the  doorway  to  prevent  any  attempt  at  escape. 

For  three  days  and  nights  these  men  had  scarcely 
slept  an  hour,  and  entering  their  rooms  they  hand 
cuffed  their  prisoners,  and  then  throwing  themselves 
on  the  bed  without  disrobing,  they  soon  fell  asleep. 

An  hour  afterwards,  there  were  strange  indica 
tions  of  wakefulness  in  one  of  the  rooms.  Joseph 
Marks,  who  had  been  strangely  sullen  and  quiet 
during  their  journey,  slowly  raised  himself  upon  his 
elbow  and  listened  attentively  to  the  labored  breath 
ing  of  his  detective  companion.  Silently  and  breath 
lessly  he  listened,  and  at  last  becoming  satisfied,  that 
slumber  had  firmly  bound  the  fatigued  operative,  he 
noiselessly  slipped  from  the  bed  and  stood  upon  the 
floor. 

Handcuffed  as  he  was  he  began  quietly  and  by 
slow  degrees  to  push  the  bedstead  from  its  position 


608  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

across  the  door,  pausing  at  frequent  intervals,  to 
note  its  effect  upon  the  sleeping  man,  but  the  deep 
sonorous  breathing  of  the  sleeper  gave  undoubted 
proof  that  no  danger  was  to  be  apprehended  from 
him.  After  he  had  succeeded  in  moving  the  bed  a 
sufficient  distance  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  his 
body,  he  searched  the  pockets  of  the  detective  and 
found  the  key.  Without  a  sound  the  bolt  shot  back 
in  the  lock  and  freedom  was  before  the  criminal. 
Snatching  up  his  hat  and  throwing  his  coat  over  his 
shoulders,  buttoning  it  around  his  neck  he  started  for 
the  door. 

As  he  did  so,  a  movement  of  the  sleeper  aroused 
his  fears,  and  hastening  to  the  side  of  the  bed,  he 
assured  himself  that  he  was  safe.  Again  he  turned 
toward  the  door,  and  then  opening  it  noiselessly, 
he  passed  out,  closing  it  behind  him.  Stealthily  he 
glided  along  the  corridors,  and  with  cat-like  steps 
descended  the  stairs.  In  safety  he  reached  the  street 
door,  and  in  another  moment  he  stood  in  the  open  air 
a  free  man. 

Raising  his  shackled  hands,  he  shook  them 
savagely  in  the  direction  of  the  building,  and  then  as 
he  strode  away,  he  chuckled  to  himself  at  the  success 
which  had  attended  him.  Reaching  the  railroad  track, 
near  the  station,  he  found  a  freight  train  loaded  with 
hay,  and  he  climbed  upon  one  of  the  open  cars  and 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  609 

hid  himself  between  two  bundles  of  hay.  In  a  few 
moments  he  was  rattling  away  from  the  scene  of  his 
captivity,  and  from  the  company  of  his  companions 
and  their  guards. 

When  the  exhausted  detective  arose  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning,  and  found  that  the  place  beside  him 
was  empty,  and  that  his  bed  had  been  moved  away 
from  the  door,  he  sat  and  gazed  in  a  state  of  dazed 
stupor,  unable  to  utter  a  word.  Finally  as  he 
recovered  his  scattered  senses,  he  started  quickly 
from  the  bed,  and  rushing  directly  to  the  room  occu 
pied  by  Mr.  Bangs,  he  astonished  that  gentleman  by 
his  revelations.  A  hasty  search  proved  conclusively 
that  the  bird  had  flown,  and  that  expedition  was 
necessary  if  his  recapture  was  to  be  accomplished. 

Of  course  this  action  on  the  part  of  my  operative 
merited,  and  afterwards  received,  a  just  degree  of 
censure,  but  I  did  not  feel  disposed  to  be  very  harsh 
with  him,  because  of  the  fatigue  and  exhaustion  which 
he  had  suffered  previous  to  his  retiring  upon  that 
night.  There  are  limits  to  the  powers  of  endurance 
of  human  nature,  and  while  regretting  the  temporary 
escape  of  the  prisoner,  I  was  disposed  to  be  more 
lenient  than  under  any  other  circumstances  would 
have  been  the  case. 

In  order  to  be  entirely  untrammelled  in  the  pur 
suit  of  Joseph  Marks,  Mr.  Bangs  at  once  surrendered 
26* 


610  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

\ 
his  two  remaining  prisoners  to  the  care  of  the  city 

officials  of  Wheeling,  and  placed  the  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,  stolen  money  that  had  been  recovered,  in  the 
custody  of  a  bank  in  that  city.  This  being  done, 
he  began  to  lay  his  plans  for  the  recovery  of  the 
fugitive. 

Obtaining  the  assistance  of  two  men  from  the 
Chief  of  Police  of  the  city,  a  vigorous  search  was  at 
once  commenced.  It  was  soon  learned  that  a  freight 
train,  the  only  one  that  had  departed  since  the  evening 
before,  had  passed  through  Wheeling  shortly  after 
midnight,  and  that  it  had  stopped  at  the  depot  for  a 
long  time.  It  was  a  local  freight  train  and  made 
stoppages  at  all  the  stations  along  the  road.  From 
this  Mr.  Bangs  was  induced  to  believe  that  Marks 
had  availed  himself  of  the  mode  of  travel  thus 
afforded  him,  and  he  thought  it  might  be  possible 
that  he  had  left  the  train  at  the  next  station  and  had 
gone  to  his  residence  but  a  short  distance  away. 

One  of  the  city  officials  who  was  unknown  to 
Marks  was  deputed  to  repair  to  the  vicinity  of  the 
residence  of  that  individual  and  endeavor  to  ascertain 
if  such  was  the  case. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Bangs  received  a  dis 
patch  from  this  official  to  the  effect  that  Marks  was 
at  home,  and  that  preparations  were  being  made  for  a 
hasty  departure.  ,  ,  , 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  611 

Mr.  Bangs  lost  no  time  in  getting  his  men  to 
gether,  and  taking  one  of  the  city  force  with  him,  he 
took  the  train  for  Marks'  house.  It  was  nine  o'clock 
when  the  party  started,  and  the  clock  of  the  village 
church  struck  ten  as  they  halted  near  their  place  of 
destination.  The  night  was  dark,  heavy  clouds  had 
been  gathering  during  the  day  and  a  slight  shower 
began  to  fall  as  the  party  of  detectives  came  in  view 
of  the  house.  The  residence  occupied  by  Marks  was 
a  pretty  frame  structure  of  the  style  of  aswiss  cottage, 
surrounded  by  a  beautiful  lawn  and  numerous  shade- 
trees,  and  at  the  rear  of  the  house  was  a  large  strip 
of  woods. 

A  low  light  was  burning  in  one  of  the  rooms  of 
the  house.  Quietly  the  men  approached,  and  after 
reaching  a  convenient  distance  Mr.  Bangs  directed 
them  to  surround  the  building  so  as  to  prevent  the 
exit  of  any  one  from  either  side.  When  this  had 
been  done,  he  ascended  the  steps  and  knocked  loudly 
upon  the  front  door.  Instantly  the  light  was  extin 
guished  within,  and  all  was  darkness  and  silence. 
Failing  to  receive  any  response  to  his  first  summons, 
Mr.  Bangs  knocked  again,  and  presently  he  heard 
hurried  footsteps  within  the  dwelling,  and  a  female 
inquired  in  a  trembling  voice,  who  it  was  that 
knocked, 


612  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

"Open  the  door !"  cried  Mr.  Bangs,  unheeding 
the  inquiry,  "  or  I  will  force  it  from  its  hinges." 

A  stifled  cry  came  from  the  lady,  whoever  she 
was,  and  the  sound  of  her  swiftly  retreating  feet 
could  be  plainly  heard. 

Again  Mr.  Bangs  knocked  at  the  door,  this  time 
louder  than  previously,  and  another  female  voice 
cried  from  within : 

"Wait  a  moment,  and  I  will  let  you  in." 

"  Make  haste,"  again  cried  Mr.  Bangs.  "  I  can 
not  be  kept  waiting  any  longer." 

As  he  spoke,  the  lock  was  turned,  and  the  door 
was  slowly  opened.  Throwing  it  forcibly  back,  he 
strode  into  the  passage-way,  which  was  dark  as  Ere 
bus.  Drawing  his  dark  lantern  from  his  pocket,  he 
threw  its  penetrating  rays  over  the  scene  presented 
before  him.  The  hall  in  which  he  stood  was  wide  and 
capacious,  extending  the  entire  length  of  the  build 
ing,  from  front  to  rear,  the  door  of  the  various  rooms 
opening  into  it.  Before  him  stood  two  pale-faced 
women,  their  eyes  heavy  with  weeping,  and  their 
hands  clasped  piteously  before  them.  He  had  no 
time  to  notice  them  particularly,  and  as  he  walked 
to  the  rear  of  the  hall  he  saw  that  one  of  the  doors 
was  open.  Turning  his  lamp  in  that  direction,  he 
a.w  that  the  window  in  the  rear  was  raised,  and  that 
a  man  whose  body  half  protruded  through  the  open- 


THE     EXPRESS    ROBBER.  613 

ing  thus  made,  was  about  to  escape  from  the  build 


ing. 


"  Stop  or  I  fire  !"  cried  Mr.  Bangs. 

But  at  that  instant,  two  stalwart  arms  from  with 
out  grasped  the  shoulders  of  the  man  he  addressed, 
and  the  cheery  confident  voice  of  my  operative 
replied  : 

"  All  right,  Captain,  I've  got  him,  and  I  guess  I 
can  take  care  of  him,"  and  with  these  wrords  the  form 
of  the  man  disappeared  through  the  window. 

Rushing  to  the  spot,  my  general  superintendent 
saw  with  gratification  that  the  discomfited  Mr. 
Marks  was  in  the  strong  arms  of  Henry  Wilson,  a 
brawny  and  careful  detective.  The  prisoner  made  a 
desperate  effort  to  resist,  but  a  sturdy  blow  from  the 
detective,  soon  convinced  him  that  such  an  attempt 
would  be  useless,  and  he  sullenly  resigned  himself  to 
his  fate. 

The  other  men  were  called  together  ;  the  prisoner 
was  safely  secured,  and  the  successful  and  elated 
party  returned  to  the  station,  where  they  took  the 
train,  and  soon  after  had  placed  their  prisoner  within 
the  enclosing  embraces  of  a  prison  cell,  while  a 
ponderous  lock  held  him  secure. 


On  the  following  day  the  prisoners  were  handed 
over  to  the  authorities,  and  were   held  to  await  their 


614  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

trial.  Risley  appeared  to  have  broken  down  com 
pletely,  his  nerves  were  terribly  shaken,  and  he 
seemed  to  feel  deeply  the  disgrace  which  he  had 
brought  upon  himself  and  his  family.  Meredith  dis 
played  the  utmost  unconcern  and  chatted  with  his 
keeper,  and  such  of  his  friends  who  visited  him,  with 
great  good  humor.  Marks,  on  the  contrary,  evinced 
a  most  belligerent  disposition,  he  became  almost  sav 
age  under  his  long  confinement,  he  swore  loudly  at 
every  one  who  approached  his  cell,  and  threatened  a 
desperate  vengeance  upon  those  who  had  been  instru 
mental  in  his  arrest. 

During  certain  hours  of  the  day,  the  prisoners 
were  allowed  the  liberty  of  walking  in  the  corridor, 
and  during  these  times  Risley  and  Meredith  would 
converse  in  low  tones  upon  their  situation,  while 
Marks  held  himself  aloof  from  them  and  consorted 
with  the  other  prisoners,  with  whom  he  soon  became 
i  great  favorite.  His  dauntless  spirit  and  fiery  tem 
per  seemed  to  excite  their  admiration,  and  his  threats 
of  vengeance  found  a  ready  echo  in  the  breasts  of 
many  more  hardened,  though  less  determined  than 
himself.  His  influence  soon  communcicatd  itself  to 
the  more  reckless  of  the  prisoners,  and  he  became  the 
center  of  a  band  of  ruffians  of  all  grades  of  crime. 

One  day,  after  they  had  enjoyed  the"  relaxation 
generally  allowed  them,  and  as  they  were  about  to  be 


THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER.  615 

returned  to  their  cells,  the  prisoners  were  alarmed  by 
loud  voices  as  if  in  fierce  altercation,  and  the  power 
ful  form  of  Marks  was  seen  grappling  fiercely  with 
one  of  the  keepers.  This  was  intended  to  be  the 
signal  for  a  general  mutiny  among  those  with  whom 
Marks  had  associated,  but  when  the  moment  for  ac 
tion  arrived,  their  hearts  failed  them,  and  they  dared 
not  perform  their  part  of  the  compact. 

Marks  was  soon  overpowered,  but  not  until  he  had 
seriously  injured  the  keeper,  whom  he  had  attacked, 
and  he  w^as  conducted  again  to  his  cell. 

That  night  he  made  another  attempt  to  escape, 
and  in  the  desperate  encounter  which  ensued,  he  was 
shot  and  killed.  Thus  ended,  in  a  prison,  a  life  which 
had  been  begun  in  honor  and  respectability,  and  a 
career  that  had  hitherto  won  for  him  the  confidence 
and  regard  of  friends  and  of  the  community  in  which 
he  moved.  It  was  his  first  criminal  offense,  and  the 
fierce  nature  brooking  no  control  was  chafed  into  mad 
ness  by  his  disgrace  and  confinement. 

The  trial  of  the  two  others,  Risley  and  Meredith, 
was  held,  and  the  evidence  against  them  proving  in 
disputable,  they  were  convicted.  Risley,  on  account 
of  his  confession,  was  sentenced  to  only  three  and  a 
half  years,  while  Meredith  was  sentenced  to  fifteen 
years. 

Thus   was    the   law   finally   vindicated,    and   the 


616  THE    EXPRESS    ROBBER. 

wrong-doers  were  compelled  to  expiate  their  crimes. 
From  all  that  could  be  learned,  Meredith  had  been 
remotely  connected  witn  several  other  incidents  of  a 
criminal  nature,  although  he  had  thus  far  escaped 
punishment.  Risley,  on  the  contrary  had  always 
prior  to  this  lived  an  honest  and  respectable  life. 
His  family  were  all  honorable  and.  respected,  he  him 
self  had  once  been  a  man  of  prominence  and  wealth; 
his  voice  had  once  been  heard  in  the  council  of  the 
state,  and  but  for  this  blot  upon  his  fair  name,  the 
few  remaining  years  of  his  life  would  have  passed 
peacefully  away,  and  he  would  have  gone  to  his 
grave  honored  and  revered.  But  temptation  came, 
and  the  weak  brain  and  speculative  mind  were  not 
secure  against  the  syren  voice  of  the  tempter  ;  the 
possibility  of  suddenly  and  without  danger,  accumu 
lating  riches,  was  too  powerful  for  his  weak  nature, 
and  he  yielded  to  the  influences  that  had  wrought 
his  ruin. 

Our  task  was  done,  the  stolen  money  had  been 
recovered,  the  criminals  had  been  punished,  and 
leaving  the  prisoners  to  their  better  reflections,  the 
Detective  enters  again  into  other  scenes  which,  while 
the  world  rolls  on  and  humanity  continues  frail,  will 
ever  engross  his  mind  and  exercise  his  abilities. 

THE     END. 


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